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*       * 


HISTORY 


Of 


THE  GREAT  REBELLION, 

FROM  ITS  COMMENCEMENT  TO  ITS  CLOSE,  GIVING  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  ITS  ORIGIN,  THE 

SECESSION  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  STATES,     ^ 

AND  THE  FORMATION  OF  THE  fc 

CONFEDERATE    GOVERNMENT, 

THE  CONCENTRATION  OF  THE  MILITARY  AND  FINANCIAL  RESOURCES  OF  THH 

FEDEBAL 


THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  ITS  VAST  POWER,    THE  RAISING,   ORGANIZING,  AND  EQUIPPING  07 

THE  CONTENDING  ARMIES   AND   NAVIES  ;    LUCID,  VIVID  AND  ACCURATE  DESCRIPTIONS 

OF  BATTLES  AND  BOMBARDMENTS,  SIEGES  AND  SURRENDER  OF  FORTS,  CAPTURED 

BATTERIES,  ETC.,  ETC.  ;    THE   IMMENSE   FINANCIAL  RESOURCES  AND  COM- 

PREHENSIVE  MEASURES  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT,  THE  ENTHUSIASM 

AND  PATRIOTIC  CONTRIBUTION'S  OF  THE  PEOPLE,  TOGETHER 

WITH  SKETCHES  OF  THE  LIVES  OF  ALL  THE  EMINENT 

STATESMEN  AND  MILITARY  AND  NAVAL 

COMMANDERS. 

From.   Official   Scmroes. 

BY  THOMAS  P.  KETTELL, 

LATE  EDITOR  or  "  HUNT'S  MERCHANTS'  MAGAZINE,"  EDITOR  AND  PROPRIETOR  OF  Tint  "  CKHTU»Y," 

"ARMY  AND  NATS  CHBONICLE,"  THB  "BANKERS'  CIRCULAR,"  NEW  YORK  CORRESPONDENT 

or  A  WASIILNGTON  JOURNAL,  &o.,  &o. 

EMBELLISHED  WITH  OVER   125   ENGRAVINGS,  INCLUDING   90   PORTRAITS  OF  PROMINENT 

STATESMEN,   MILITARY  AND  NAVAL  OFFICERS,   AND    20   FULL-PAGE  BATTLE 

AND  OTHER  SCENES,  ON  STEEL,  ILLUSTRATING  THE  VARIED  AND  EXCITINO 

SCENES  OF   THE   WAR,    WITH    NUMEROUS  MAPS,    GIVING   THE 

LOCATION  OF  ALL  IMPORTANT  MILITARY  POINTS. 

THREE  VOLS.—  VOL.  III. 


FURNISHED  TO  SUBSCRIBERS  ONLY. 


NEW  YORK: 
1ST.    C.    MILLER,    3    PARK    ROW, 

PUBLISHER    OF    SUBSCRIPTION    BOOKS. 

H.  H.  BANCROFT  &  CO.,  SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL. 

1866. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congiess,  in  tne  year  1865, 
BY  L.  STEBBINS, 

01  me  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the  Diatnc*. 
of  Massachusetts. 


l 


CONTENTS 


SEN 


CHAPTER   XLIII. 
PAGE  815  TO  822. 

Lee's  Retreat  from  Gettysburg. — Peace  Mission. — Conscription. — Meade 
Re-enforced. — Draft. — Riots. — Lee  Crosses  the  Rapidan. — His  Advance 
and  Subsequent  Retreat. 

CHAPTER   XLIV. 
PAGE  823  TO  827. 

Meade's  Advance  across  the  Rapidan. — Recrosses. — Winter-Quarters. — 
Draft  for  Three  Hundred  Thousand  Men. — Reconnoissance. — Kilpatrick's 
Raid  upon  Richmond. — Death  of  Dahlgren. 

CHAPTER     XLY. 
PAGE  828  TO  837. 

Creation  of  the  Office  of  Lieutenant-General — General  Grant  Appointed. — 
Army  Reorganization. — Draft  for  Two  Hundred  Thousand  Men. — 
General  Grant  assumes  Command  in  Chief. — Powers  of  the  Lieutenant- 
General. — Country  between  "Washington  and  Richmond. — Rule  of  Ad- 
vance.— Rebel  Position. 

CHAPTER   XLTI. 
PAGE  838  TO  858. 

The  Army  in  Tennessee. — Results  at  Murfreesboro'. — Operations  in  Tennes- 
see.— Minor  Expeditions. — Advance  of  Rosecrans. — Retreat  of  Bragg. — 
Burnside's  Campaign  in  East  Tennessee. — Occupation  of  Knoxville. — 
Evacuation  of  Chattanooga. — Concentration  of  the  Enemy. — Battle  of 
Chickamauga. — The  Two  Generals. — Results  of  the  Battle. 

CHAPTER   XLVII. 
PAGE  859  TO  868. 

Inaction  of  Bragg. — His  Position. — His  Indecision. — Rosecrans  Recruit- 
ing.— Storms. — Hooker  Arrives. — Grant  Ordered  up. — He  Supersedes 
Rosecrans. — Thomas  in  Command  of  Department. — Position  of  the  Ar- 
my.— Movement  to  open  River. — Defeat  of  the  Enemy. — Sherman'3 
March. — Combat. — Change  of  Route. — Burnside's  Position. — Longstreet 
Detached  from  Bragg. — Siege  of  Knoxville. — Burnside  Hard  Pressed. — 
Bragg  Weakened. — Grant  Attacks. — The  Movement  Successful. — Sher- 
man Relieves  Burnside. — Retreat  of  Longstreet. 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XLVIII. 
PAGB  869  TO  879. 

Operations  against  Charleston. — Arrival  of  Monitors. — Montauk. — Attack 
by  the  Enemy. — Iron-clad  Attack  on  Sumter. — Capture  of  the  At- 
lanta.— General  GillmofB  in  Command. — Assault  on  Fort  "Wagner. — Bom- 
bardment of  Fort  Sumter. — Siege  and  Reduction  of  Fort  Wagner. — Occu- 
pation of  Morris  Island. 

CHAPTER    XLIX. 
PAGE  880  TO  890. 

Advance  on  Richmond. — Crossing  of  the  Rapidan. — Routes  of  Corps. — 
The  Enemy  attempts  a  Flanking  Movement. — Meade's  Attack. — Repulse 
of  Griffin. — Hancock  Arrives.— Concentration  of  the  Army. — Burnside 
ordered  Forward. — New  Dispositions. — Advance  of  Hancock  on  the  6th. 
— Arrival  of  Longstreet. — Fall  of  Wadsworth. — Longstreet  Wounded. — 
Attack  on  the  Union  Right. — Results  of  the  Two  Days'  Fighting. 

CHAPTER    L. 
PAGE  891  TO  902. 

Movement  upon  Spottsylvania. — The  Enemy  on  the  Alert. — Attack  of  May 
10th. — Death  of  Sedgwick. — Position  of  the  Troops. — Grant  "  to  Fight  it 
out  on  that  Line." — Assault  by  the  Second  Corps  on  May  12th. — Large 
Captures  of  Prisoners  and  Guns. — Results  of  the  Struggle. — Sheridan's 
Cavalry  Raid. — Death  of  General  Stuart. — Battle  at  Meadow  Bridge. — 
Sheridan  at  the  James  River. 

CHAPTER    LI. 
PAGE  903  TO  911. 

Retrograde  Movement  of  the  Enemy. — Bad  Condition  of  the  Roads. — 
Union  Movement  to  the  Left. — Relative  Position  of  Armies. — Re-enforce- 
ments.— Irruption  on  the  Rear  Repulsed. — Grant  Crossing  the  North 
Anna. — Impregnable  Position  of  the  Enemy. — North  Anna  Recrossed, 
and  Movement  to  the  Left  continued. 

CHAPTER    LII. 
PAGB  912  TO  917. 

Original  Plan  of  Campaign. — Butler's  Expedition  up  the  James. — Movement 
on  Petersburg. — Fort  Darling. — Repulse  of  the  Union  Forces. — Attack 
by  Beauregard. — Beauregard  Re-enforces  Lee. — Smith  sent  to  support 
Grant. 

CHAPTER    LIII. 
PAGE  918  TO  926. 

Position  of  Grant's  Army. — Warren's  Advance. — Further  Development  of 
the  Union  Left  Wing.— Severe  Battles  around  Cold  Harbor. — New  Flank 
Movement  determined  upon. — Crossing  of  the  James  and  Junction  with 
Butler.— Results  of  that  Campaign. 


CONTENTS.  V 

CHAPTER    LIT. 

PAGE  92?  TO  930. 

Advance  on  Petersburg. — Position  of  the  City. — Assault  and  Capture  of 
Earthworks  and  Guns. — Assault  of  Saturday,  June  18th. — Repulse. — 
Aspect  of  the  Campaign. 

CHAPTER    LY. 
PAGE  931  TO  941. 

Relative  Strength  of  Armies. — Grant  moves  against  the  Railroad  Connections 
of  Richmond — Combat  of  June  21st. — Repulsed  the  23d. — Sheridan's  Ex- 
pedition.— Movement  of  Wilson  and  Kautz  on  the  Danville  Road. — Five 
Hundred  Thousand  Men  called  out. — Explosion  of  the  Mine  in  Front  of 
Petersburg. — Failure  of  the  Assault. 

CHAPTER    LVI. 
PAGE  942  TO  948. 

Sigel's  Movement  in  the  Valley. — Hunter  Supersedes  Sigel,  and  Defeats  the 
Rebels  near  Staunton. — Occupation  of  Lexington. — Lynchburg. — Early 
sent  to  the  Valley. — Retreat  of  Hunter  through  "Western  Virginia. — 
Advance  of  Early  down  the  Valley  and  Invasion  of  Maryland. — Defeat 
of  Wallace. — Washington  Threatened. — Arrival  of  Sixth  Corps  and  Re- 
treat of  Early. — Various  Encounters  in  the  Valley. — Hunter  Superseded 
by  Sheridan. 

CHAPTER    LVII. 
PAGE  949  TO  959. 

Dutch  Gap  Canal. — Movement  North  of  the  James. — Expedition  of  the 
Fifth  Corps  to  the  Weldon  Road. — Attack  by  Hill. — Severe  Fighting 
near  Reams's  Station. — Losses. — Repulse  of  the  Enemy. — Subsequent 
Repulse  of  Hancock. — Renewal  of  the  Movement  North  of  the  James 
and  Capture  of  Fort  Harrison. — Further  Operations  on  the  Weldon  Rail- 
road. 

CHAPTER    LVIII. 
PAGE  960  TO  968. 

Operations  in  Tennessee. — Sherman's  Raid  through  Mississippi. — Failure  of 
Smith's  Co-operative  Movement. — Invasion  of  Western  Tennessee  and 
Kentucky  by  Forrest. — Massacre  at  Fort  Pillow. 

CHAPTER    LIX. 
PAGE  969  TO  985. 

Co-operative  Movement  on  Atlanta. — Size  and  Organization  of  the  Union 
and  Rebel  Armies. — Commencement  of  the  Campaign  by  Sherman. — 
Evacuation  of  Dalton  by  Johnston. — Battle  of  Resaca  and  Retreat  of  tlie 
Rebels. — Operations  at  Dallas  and  Kenesaw. — Rebels  Flanked  and 
driven  across  the  Chattahoochie. 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    LX 
PAGE  986  TO  996. 

The  New  Position  of  the  Enemy. — Johnston  again  Turned  and  Pushed 
Back  upon  Atlanta. — Rousseau's  Raid. — Hood  Succeeds  Johnston. — In- 
vestment of  Atlanta.— Battles  of  July  20th  and  22d. — Death  of  McPher- 
Bon. — Cavalry  Raids  of  Stoneman  and  McCook. — Defeat  and  Capture  of 
Stoneman. — Battle  of  July  28th. — Prolongation  of  the  Union  Right 
Wing. — Changes  of  Commanders  in  Sherman's  Army. 

CHAPTER    LXI. 

PA<IE  997  TO  100.9. 

Siege  of  Atlanta. — Position  of  the  City. — Topography. — The  Enemy's 
Strength. — Sherman  moves  to  the  Right. — Wheeler's  Raid. — Kil- 
patrick's  Raid. — Grand  Plank  Movement  of  the  Army  on  the  Macon 
Railroad. — Defeat  of  the  Enemy  at  Jonesboro. — Evacuation  of 
Atlanta. — Congratulatory  Order  of  General  Sherman. — Truce. — De- 
population of  Atlanta.-yCorrespondence  between  Sherman  and  Hood. 
— Results  of  the  Campaign. 

CHAPTER    LXII. 

PAGE  1010  TO  1022. 

The  Gulf  Department. — Sabine  Pass  Expedition. — McPherson  moves  from 
Vicksburg. — Expedition  to  the  Rio  Grande,  and  Occupation  of  Browns- 
ville.— Banks's  Red  River  Expedition. — Capture  of  Fort  De  Russey. — 
Occupation  of  Alexandria. — Battle  of  Mansfield. — Retreat  of  the  Army. — 
Repulse  of  the  Enemy  at  Pleasant  Hill. — Operations  of  the  Fleet. — The 
Dam  at  Alexandria. — Arrival  of  the  Army  and  Fleet  in  the  Mississippi — 
Co-operative  Movement  of  Steele  in  Arkansas. — Causes  of  its  Failure. 

CHAPTER    LXIII. 

PAGE  1023_ro  1031. 

War  in  Missouri — Execution  of  Guerrillas. — Marmaduke's  Movements. — 
Helena. — Successful  Campaign  of  General  Steele  in  Arkansas. — Capture 
of  Little  Rock. — General  Gantt.— -Sacking  of  Lawrence  by  Quantrell. — 
Price's  Last  Invasion  of  Missouri — His  Disastrous  Defeat  and  Retreat 
into  Arkansas. 

CHAPTER    LXIV. 

PAGE  1032  TO  1039. 

Mobile. — Its  Defences. — Concentration  of  Troops. — Combined  Operations. — 
Landing  on  Dauphine  Island. — Order  of  Battle. — Tecumseh  blown  up. — 
Tennessee  Attacks. — Desperate  Battle. — Mode  of  Attack. — Fort  Powell 
blown  up. — Fort  Gaines  Surrenders. — Siege  of  Fort  Morgan. — Surrender. 
— Minor  Expeditions. 

CHAPTER    LXV. 

PAGE  1040  TO  1057. 

Expedition  to  Florida. — Occupation  of  Jacksonville. — Advance  of  General 
Seymour. — Battle  of  Olustee,  and  Retreat  of  the  Union  Army. — Demon- 
stration against  Newbern. — Capture  of  Plymouth. — The  Albemarle. — 
Her  fight  with  Union  Gunboats. — Her  Destruction. — Rebel  Privateers. — 
Combat  between  the  Kearsarge  and  Alabama. — Capture  of  the  Florida 
and  Georgia. 


CONTENTS. 


Vll 


CHAPTER    LXVI. 

PAGE  1058  TO  ion. 

Depopulation  of  Atlanta. — Correspondence  between  General  Sherman  and 
Mayor  Calhoun. — Flank  Movement  by  Hood. — Attack  o*n  AUatoona.— 
Hood  Severs  Sherman's  Communications. — Marches  into  Alabama  and 
Enters  Tennessee. — Sherman's  New  Plan  of  Campaign. — Invasion  of 
Tennessee. — Battle  of  Franklin. — Affair  at  Murfreesboro. — Battles  of 
December  15th 'and  16th  before  Nashville. — Retreat  of  Hood  into 
Alabama. — Close  of  the  Campaign. 

CHAPTER    LXVII, 

PAGE  1078  TO  1089. 

Sheridan  in  Command  of  the  Middle  Military  Division. — Manoeuvring  in 
the  Valley. — Object  of  the  Movements. — Battles  of  Opequan  Creek 
and  Fisher's  Hill. — Rout  and  Retreat  of  the  Rebels. — Their  new 
Position  at  Brown's  Gap. — Movements  of  Sheridan. 

CHAPTER    LXYIII. 

^PAGE  1090  TO  1099. 

Position  of  Armies. — Early  Advances. — Battle  of  Cedar  Creek. — Opportune 
Arrival  of  Sheridan. — Disastrous  Defeat  of  the  Enemy. — Sheridan's 
Troops  leave  for  the  Potomac. — Devastation. 

CHAPTER    LXIX. 

PAGE  1100  TO  1118. 

Political  Parties. — Electicgis  of  1862. — Organization  and  Strength  of  the 
Peace  Party. — Banishment  of  Vallandigham. — Ohio  Election. — Political 
Reaction  in  Favor  of  the  Administration.  —  Thirty-eighth  Congress. — 
President's  Plan  of  Reconstruction. — Amendment  to  the  Constitution. — * 
Presidential  Canvass  of  1864. — Conventions  at  Baltimore  and  Chicago. — 
Nomination  of  Lincoln  and  McClellan. — Result  of  the  Election. — Peace 
Negotiations. — Colonel  Jaques. — The  Niagara  Falls  Correspondence. 

CHAPTER    LXX. 

PAGE  1118  TO  1123. 

Finances  of  1863. — Revenue. — Sales  of  Bonds. — Effect  of  Paper  Money. — 
Policy  of  Mr.  Chase. — Gold  Law,  and  its  Effects.— Finances  of  1864. — 
Sales  of  Bonds  hi  Europe. — National  Banks. 

CHAPTER    LXXI. 

PAGE  1123  TO  1132. 

Sherman  Prepared  to  Cross  Georgia. — Composition  of  Army. — Combat  at 
Griswoldvillo. — Appeal  to  the  People  of  Georgia. — Milledgeville  Reached. 
— Army  at  Louisville. — Combat  with  Wheeler. — March  to  Savannah. — 
— Communicates  with  the  Fleet. — Fort  McAllister. — Evacuation  of  Sa- 
vannah.— Sherman's  Dispatch. — Wilmington  Expedition. — Fort  Fisher. 
— Powder  Ship. — Bombardment. — Failure. — Return  to  Hampton  Roads. 
— Co-operation  from  Plymouth. 

CHAPTER    LXXII. 

PAGE  1132  TO  1142. 

Affairs  at  Petersburg. — Renewed  Attempt  to  Flank  the  Rebel  Right. — 
Battle  at  Hatcher's  Run.— Fighting  on  the  North  Side  of  the  James.— 


vlii  CONTENTS. 

Review  of  the  Tear.— Importance  of  Sherman's  Operations. — Calls  for 
Troops. — Relative  Strength  of  Armies.  —Second  Attack  on  Fort  Fisher. 
— Capture  of  Fort  and  Garrison. 

CHAPTER    LXXIII. 

PAGE  1142  TO  1154. 

Capture  of  Remaining  Defences  on  Cape  Fear  River. — Schofield  Ordered 
from  Tennessee. — Fort  Anderson  Taken. — Occupation  of  Wilmington. — 
Movement  on  Kinston. — Goldsboro'. — Gillmore  before  Charleston. — 
Evacuation  of  the  City  by  Hardee. — Flag  Restored  to  Fort  Sumter. — 
Sheridan  in  the  Valley. — His  Raid. — Great  Destruction  of  Rebel  Prop- 
erty.— Joins  Meade. 

CHAPTER    LXXIV. 

PAGE  1155  TO  1164. 

General  Sherman  at  Savannah. — The  Advance  Northward. — Pocotaligo. — 
Salkehatchie. — Movement  on  Columbia. — Conflagration  in  Columbia,  and 
its  Origin. — Beauregard  at  Charlotte. — Lee  placed  in  Chief  Command  of 
th3  Rebel  Armies.  —  Johnston  Reinstated.  —  Fayetteville.  —  Rebel 
Strength. — Averysboro'. — Bentonville. — Goldsboro'. — Junction  of  Three 
Union  Armies. — ^Objective  of  the  Campaign  Gained. 

CHAPTER    LXXV. 

PAGE  1165  TO  1178. 

Grant's  Preparations  for  a  Final  Movement. — Rebel  Attack  on  Fort  Stead- 
man. — Disastrous  Repulse. — Object  of  Lee. — Movement  on  the  Left 
Commenced. — Aflair  of  Quaker  Road. — Heary  Fighting  on  Boydton 
Road. — Decisive  Battle  of  Five  Forks. — Rebel  Left  turned. — Assault  on 
Petersburg. — Evacuation  of  Petersburg  and  Richmond. — Pursuit  of 
•  Lee. — His  Surrender  to  Grant. — End  of  Campaign. 

HAPTEB    LXXVI. 

PAGE  1178  TO  1197. 

Raids  in  Kentucky  and  East  Tennessee. — Defeat  and  Death  of  Morgan.— 
Successes  of  Stoneman  and  Burbridge. — Destruction  of  "Works  at  Salt- 
ville. — Stoneman's  Last  Raid. — Capture  of  Salisbury. — Negotiations 
between  Sherman  and  Johnston. — Agreement  for  Surrender  by  Johnston 
disavowed  at  Washington. — Reasons  Assigned. — Final  Surrender  of 
Johnston. — Wilson's  great  Raid  in  Alabama  and  Georgia. — Capture  of 
Selma,  Montgomery,  and  Macon. — Exchanges  of  Prisoners. — Cruel  Treat- 
ment by  Rebels  of  Union  Prisoners. — Horrors  of  Andersonville. — Rebel 
Plots  in  Canada. — The  St.  Albans  Raid. — Execution  of  Beall  and  Ken- 
nedy.— Attempts  to  Fire  American  Cities  and  Introduce  Pestilence. 

CHAPTER    LXXYII. 

PAGE  1198  TO  1206. 

Peace  Negotiations  at  Fortress  Monroe. — Then*  Fruitless  Issue.— Second 
Inauguration  of  Lincoln. — His  Address. — Rejoicings  at  the  Prospect  of 
Peace. — Assassination  of  Lincoln. — The  Public  Mourning. — Funeral  Pro- 
cession.— Character  of  Lincoln. — Booth,  the  Murderer,  Pursued  and  Shot. 
— Trial  and  Execution  of  his  Accomplices. — Inauguration  of  Andrew 
Johnson  as  President. — Amnesty  Proclamation. — Plan  for  Reconstruction. 
— Pursuit  and  Capture  of  Davis. — Capitulation  of  Generals  Taylor  and 
Kirby  Smith. — Termination  of  the  War  and  Disbanding  of  the  Armies. — 
The  National  Debt. — Concluding  Reflections. 


HISTOEY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  815 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

Lee's  Retreat  from  Gettysburg. — Peace  Mission. — Conscription. — Meade 
Re-enforced. — Draft. — Riots. — Lee  Crosses  the  Rapidan. — His  Advance 
and  Subsequent  Retreat. 

GENERAL  MEADE  was  unable  to  -press  the  pursuit  of 
Lee  with  so  much  vigor  as  he  could  have  wished,  and  the 
enemy  retired  unmolested,  with  the  exception  of  a  cav- 
alry attack  in  the  mountains,  by  which  he  lost  a  number 
of  wagons  and  ambulances.  The  mountain  passes  being 
held  by  Lee's  rear-guard,  it  was  necessary  for  Meade  to 
pursue  by  a  flanking  movement.  The  rebel  train,  guarded 
by  General  Imboden,  reached  "Williamsport  on  the  6th 
of  July,  where,  on  the  succeeding  day,  he  was  worsted 
in  a  snarp  combat  with  a  body  of  Union  cavalry  and 
artillery,  losing  a  number  of  wagons  and  prisoners. 

On  the  8th,  Lee's  rear-guard  of  cavalry,  under  Stuart, 
was  driven  out  of  Hagerstown  with  loss,  and  on  the  9th 
the  whole  rebel  army  was  concentrated  in  a  strong  posi- 
tion between  Williamsport  and  Falling  Waters,  covering 
the  crossings  of  the  river  at  both  places.  The  Potomac 
was  now  found  to  be  so  swollen  by  recent  rains  as  to  be 
unfordable.  This  interrupted  communications  with  the 
South,  and  threatened  the  safety  of  the  rebel  army.  The 
difficulty  of  procuring  ammunition  and  subsistence  be- 
came very  great,  the  more  so  that  the  swollen  river 
stopped  ths  working  of  neighboring  mills.  The  pontoon 
bridge  at  Falling  Waters  having  been  partially  destroyed 
by  the  Unionists,  the  Confederates  were  -compelled  to 
remain  at  Williamsport  until  a  new  one  could  be  built 
and  thrown  across.  This  was  successfully  performed  by 
the  13th.  Meanwhile,  Lee,  having  fortified  his  position 
by  earthworks,  awaited  an  attack  from  Meade,  who, 


816  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

following  from  Gettysburg  with  caution,  did  not  arrive  in 
the  enemy's  front  until  the  12th,  and  decided  not  to 
attack  until  the  rebel  position  could  be  reconnoitred. 
Pending  the  reconnoissauce,  on  the  night  of  the  13th  the 
army  of  Lee  began  to  cross,  Ewell's  Corps  fording 
the  river  at  Williamsport,  while  Longstreet  and  Hill's 
crossed  upon  the  reconstructed  bridge,  near  Falling 
Waters,  where  most  of  the  train  had  previously  passed. 
The  movement  was  very  tedious,  owing  to  the  condition 
of  the  roads,  and  was  not  completed  until  one  P.  M.  of 
the  14th,  when  the  bridge  was  removed.  At  Falling 
Waters,  Hill's  rear-guard  was  vigorously  assailed  by 
Kilpatrick's  cavalry,  losing  two  guns  and  upwards  of 
fifteen  hundred  prisoners.  In  this  encounter  the  ene- 
my lost  Brigadier-General  Pettigrew,  who  was  mortally 
wounded,  and  died  a  few  days  after  at  Bunker's  Hill, 
which  point  the  rebel  army  reached  on  the  15th.  The 
army  under  General  Meade  crossed  in  pursuit,  and  took 
such  a  route  as,  aided  by  the  swollen  condition  of  the 
Shenandoah,  compelled  Lee  to  abandon  his  original  plan 
of  retreat  and  to  cross  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  keep  along 
the  south  side  of  the  Rappahannock.  He  left  Martins- 
burg  on  the  18th,  and,  on  the  20th,  Meade's  whole  army 
was  over  the  Potomac  in  full  pursuit. 

The  retreat  and  pursuit  continued  without  much  of 
interest,  until  Lee's  army  occupied  the  south  bank  of  the 
Kapidan,  near  Orange  Court-House.  The  Union  army 
occupied  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Culpepper  Court-House.  At  the  date  of  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg,  a  flag-of-truce  boat  arrived  at  Fortress  Mon- 
roe, having  on  board  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  Vice-Presi- 
dent  of  the  "  Southern  Confederacy,"  between  whom  and 
the  Federal  authorities  the  following  correspondence  took 
place : — 

"FORTRESS  MONROE,  July  4,  1863,  ) 

"  UNITED  STATES  STEAMER  MINNESOTA — 2  p.  M.  \ 
"  Hon.  GIDEON  WELLES,  Secretary  of  the  Navy  : 

"  The  following  communication  is  just  received  from  Mr.  Stephens,  who  is 
in  the  flag-of-truoe  boat  anchored  above.  I  shall  inform  Mr.  Stephens  that 
I  await  your  instructions  before  giving  him  an  answer. 

"  S.  H.  LEE,  Admiral,  <fc& 

"  '  CONFEDHBATE  SlATBS  STEAMER  TORPEDO,  ) 

"  'IN  JAMES  RIVER,  July  4, 1863.         f 

'  'SlR: — As  military  commissioner,  I  am  the  bearer  of  a  communication 
in  writing  from  Jefferson  Davis,  Commandor-in-Chief  of  tho  land  and  naval 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  817 

forces  of  the  Confederate  States,  to  Abraham  Lincoln,  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  land  and  naval  'forces  of  the  United  States.  Honorable  Robert 
Quid,  Confederate  States  Agent  of  Exchange,  accompanies  me  as  secretary, 
for  the  purpose  of  delivering  the  communication  in  person,  and  conferring 
upon  the  subject  to  which  it  relates.  I  desire  to  proceed  directly  to  Wash- 
ington in  the  steamer  Torpedo,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Hunter  David- 
son, of  the  Confederate  States  Navy,  no  person  being  on  board  but  the 
Honorable  Mr.  Quid,  myself,  and  the  boat's  officers  and  crew. 
"  '  Yours  most  respectfully, 

"  '  ALEXANDER  H.  STEPHENS. 
"  'To  S.  H.  LEE,  Admiral,  &c?  " 

"  NAVY  DEPARTMENT,  July  4,  1863. 
"  Acting  Rear- Admiral  S.  H.  LEE,  Hampton  Roads : 

"  The  request  of  Alexander  H.  Stephens  is  inadmissible.  The  customary 
agents  and  channels  are  adequate  for  all  needful  military  communication 
and  conference  between  the  United  States  forces  and  the  insurgents. 

"  GIDEON  WELLES,  Secretary  of  the  Navy," 

The  nature  of  the  mission  was  not  at  that  time  made 
known,  but  the  circumstance  led  to  numberless  conjec- 
tures. This  attempted  communication  was  followed  by  a 
vigorous  conscription  of  every  male  person  between  the 
ages  of  eighteen  and  forty-five,  and  on  the  1st  of  August 
Jefferson  Davis  issued  an  address  to  the  soldiers  of  the 
confederation,  appealing  to  their  honor  and  manhood,  and 
assuring  them  that  there  was  now  no  alternative  but 
victory  or  subjugation.  The  army  of  General  Lee  was 
gradually  strengthened  by  these  means,  and  it  continued 
in  its  cantonments  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Eapidan. 
The  corps  were  reorganized  and  consolidated  after  the 
losses  incurred  in  the  Northern  invasion,  and  many 
changes  in  command  took  place.  General  Fitzhugh  Lee, 
who  commanded  a  brigade  composed  of  the  First,  Second, 
Third,  Fourth,  and  Fifth  Virginia,  and  First  Maryland 
Cavalry,  was  made  major-general,  and  took  leave  of  his 
brigade  in  a  general  order  September  12th.  Brigadier- 
General  Wade  Hampton  was  made  a  major-general,  and 
Colonels  M.  C.  Butler,  of  South  Carolina,  and  William 
C.  Wickham,  late  commander  of  the  Fourth  Virginia 
Cavalry,  were  appointed  brigadier-generals,  and  the  last 
named  succeeded  to  the  command  of  Fitzhugh  Lee's  Bri- 
gade. 

The  Union  Army  was  at  the  same  time  re-enforced  by 
the  new  levies  obtained  under  the  draft,  which  had  been 
enforced  in  July,  and  which  had  caused  a  most  serious 
riot  in  the  city  of  New  York.  This,  instigated  by 

50 


818  HISTORY   OF  THE  GEEAT   KEBELLION. 

Southern  conspirators,  was  quelled  after  considerable  loss 
of  life  on  the  part  of  the  rioters,  and  destruction  of  prop- 
erty ;  and,  to  hasten  recruiting,  volunteering  by  bounties 
was  in  many  places  adopted  instead  of  the  draft.  The 
new  levies  obtained  in  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States 
were,  by  general  order  from  the  "War  Department,  sent 
to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  to  which  they  gradually 
added  great  efficiency.  On  the  12th  September,  Warren's 
Corps  moved  into  position  at  Hartwood,  about  nine  miles 
north  of  Falmouth.  This  manoeuvre  was  deemed  to  in- 
dicate an  approaching  forward  movement  by  General 
Meade.  The  quiet  was  maintained,  however,  up  to  the 
middle  of  October.  In  the  mean  time,  in  consequence 
of  important  events  taking  place  in  Tennessee,  consider- 
able detachments  had  been  made  from  the  army  of 
Meade,  to  support  Rosecraus  ;  and  pending  the  elections 
in  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  a  considerable  number  of 
troops  had  been  furloughed,  that  they  might  enjoy  the 
right  of  suffrage.  Taking  advantage  of  this  state  of 
atlairs  in  Meade's  army,  which  was  encamped  around 
Culpepper  Court-House,  and  thence  to  the  Rapidan, 
General  Lee,  notwithstanding  he  had  detached  Long- 
street  to  re-enforce  Bragg  in  the  West,  on  the  9th  Octo- 
ber put  his  army  in  motion  and  crossed  the  Rapid  an, 
with  the  design  of  bringing  on  an  engagement.  Imboden 
was  ordered  to  advance  by  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah, 
to  guard  the  gaps  of  the  mountains,  and  Fitzhugh  Lee, 
with  his  cavalry,  to  remain  and  hold  the  lines  south  of 
the  Rapidan.  Stuart,  with  Hampton's  Division,  moved 
on  the  right  of  the  column,  and  encountered  the  Union 
troops  under  Kilpatrick,  near  James  City,  .on  the  10th. 
These  retired  on  Culpepper,  slowly  followed  by  General 
Lee,  who  arrived  there  on  the  llth,  and  remained  there 
to  provision  his  troops  until  the  12th.  Meantime,  Meade, 
aware  of  the  rapid  approach  of  the  enemy,  as  if  to  turn 
his  flank,  sent  on  the  12th  a  strong  cavalry  force  to  the 
Rapidan  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  nature  of  the 
enemy's  movement.  It  encountered  Fitzhugh  Lee,  who 
repulsed  and  pursued  it  to  Brandy  Station.  Here  Stuart 
and  Lee  formed  a  junction  and  pressed  the  Union  troops 
vigorously  across  the  Rappahannock,  inflicting  sorwe  loss. 
The  main  body  of  Lee's  army  advanced  and  reached 
Warrenton  Springs  on  the  13th.  Meade,  who  had  fallen 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  819 

back  fifteen  miles,  continued  his  retreat  rapidly,  in  order 
to  anticipate  his  antagonist  in  the  possession  of  the  bloody 
field  of  Bull  Run.  The  retreat  was  conducted  on  several 
parallel  roads,  while  the  march  of  the  Confederates  was 
circuitous.  Meade,  therefore,  could  not  be  outmarched. 
On  October  14th,  the  Second  Corps,  commanded  by 
General  Warren,  took  up  a  position  at  Bristow  Station, 
behind  the  railroad  embankment,  and  repulsed  *the 
advance  of  the  enemy  under  Hill,  with  the  loss  of  four 
hundred  and  fifty  prisoners  and  five  pieces  of  artillery. 
The  enemy's  re-enforcements  arriving  rapidly,  the  Union 
troops  retreated  across  Broad  Run,  and  on  the  following 
day  proceeded  to  fortify  Bull  Run,  extending  the  line 
towards  Little  River  turnpike.  Foiled  in  all  his  efforts  to 
outflank  or  deceive  his  wary  opponent,  who  was  gradually 
drawing  him  in  to  unpleasant  proximity  to  the  fortifications 
surrounding  Washington,  and  away  from  his  base,  the 
rebel  general  gave  up  the  pursuit  on  the  15th,  and  retired 
upon  the  line  of  the  Rappahannock,  which  he  reached  on 
the  18th,  after  destroying  the  Orange  and  Alexandria  Rail- 
road from  Cub  Run  to  that  point.  The  rear  of  the  retreat- 
ing Confederates  was  covered  by  the  cavalry  under  Stuart, 
who,  with  Hampton's  Division,  fell  slowly  back  towards 
Warrenton,  drawing  the  Union  force  in  that  direction,  and 
giving  Lee  at  Auburn  an  opportunity  for  a  flank  attack  at 
Buckland.  As  soon  as  Stuart  heard  Lee's  guns,  he  turned 
upon  the  Union  troops,  which,  being  in  inferior  force, 
were  compelled  to  retreat  to  Haymarket.  The  enemy 
then  resumed  their  march  to  the  Rappahannock. 

Meantime,  Imboden,  who  had  proceeded  down  the 
valley,  by  a  rapid  march  surrounded  Charlestown,  and 
captured  the  garrison  of  four  hundred  and  thirty-four  men 
stationed  there,  with  their  stores,  and,  what  was  of  great 
advantage  to  the  enemy,  the  transportation.  He  then 
rapidly  retired  before  the  advance  of  the  Union  troops 
from  Harper's  Ferry.  The  results  of  the  enemy's  move- 
ment were  the  capture  of  two  thousand  prisoners,  for 
which  his  own  losses  in  killed,  wounded,  prisoners,  and  ar- 
tillery scarcely  compensated.  The  events  in  East  Ten- 
nessee being  at  this  time  very  critical,  a  mutual  distrust 
existed  between  the  opposing  armies  in  Virginia,  each 
dreading  lest  the  other  might  send  succor  to  the  armies 
struggling  there.  General  Meade,  accordingly,  made 


820  HISTORY  OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

such  demonstrations  as  would,  it  was  supposed,  deter  Lee 
from  sending  troops  to  the  rebel  army  in  Tennessee,  and, 
perhaps,  compel  him  to  recall  Longstreet.  The  new 
Union  levies  under  the  conscription  began  now  to  be 
more  and  more  available,  and  so  freely  were  they  organ- 
ized that  from  the  middle  of  October  to  June,  1864,  ac- 
cording to  the  declaration  of  the  chairman  of  the  Senate 
Military  Committee,  six  hundred  thousand  men  were  sent 
to  the  armies.  In  the  first  week  of  November,  there  were 
indications  that  an  aggressive  movement  by  the  army  in 
Virginia  would  speedily  be  entered  on.  It  was  publicly 
announced  that  all  able-bodied  troops  in  garrison  at  Wash- 
ington, under  command  of  General  Martindale,  would  be 
relieved  from  duty  and  sent  to  the  field,  and  their  place 
filled  by  the  Invalid  Corps.  Advices  from  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  showed  that  the  rebels  intended  to  resist  our 
occupying  the  Rappahannock  and  rebuilding  the  railroad 
across  it.  They  had  also  been  recently  engaged  in  forti- 
fying the  approaches  to  the  river  on  the  north  side.  Un- 
der these  circumstances,  General  Meade  commenced  a 
forward  movement  from  the  line  of  Cedar  Run  to  the  line 
of  the  Rappahannock.  The  advance  began  early  on  the 
morning  of  Saturday,  November  7th.  The  Sixth  Corps, 
General  Sedgwick,  moved  from  Warrenton  to  Rappahan- 
nock  Station.  The  Second,  Third,  and  Fifth  Corps,  under 
"Warren,  French,  and  Sykes,  respectively  marched  by 
"Warrenton  Junction  along  the  line  of  railway  by  way  of 
Bealton,  where  the  First  Corps,  Newton,  brought  up  with 
the  extreme  left.  Previous  cavalry  reconnoissances  had 
shown  that  the  enemy  occupied  the  forts  at  Rappahan- 
nock  Station,  and  were  also  in  force  to  the  south  at  Kel- 
ly's Ford.  From  Bealton,  the  Fifth  Corps  continued  in 
direct  line  of  march  to  form  a  junction  with  the  Sixth  at 
Rappahannock  Station.  The  Second  and  Third  deployed 
at  Kelly's  Ford.  At  this  point  the  Third  was  in  advance, 
and  as  they  neared  the  ford  they  threw  out  strong  lines 
of  skirmishers  and  sharpshooters.  Batteries  were  planted 
on  the  range  of  hills  rising  abruptly  along  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  and  sweeping  the  extensive  plateau  on  the 
south  side.  Under  cover  of  their  fire  the  pontoons  were 
successfully  laid,  and  the  attacking  party,  consisting  of 
Berdan's  sharpshooters,  the  Fortieth  New  York,  the  First 
and  Twentieth  Indiana,  the  Third,  and  Fifth  Michigan, 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GBEAT   REBELLION.  821 

and  the  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Pennsylvania,  rapidly 
crossed  the  bridge.  Having  gained  the  opposite  bank, 
the  rifle-pits  were  charged,  and  the  rebels,  finding  them- 
selves surrounded  on  all  sides,  surrendered.  The  captures 
at  this  point  were  found  to  include  over  four  hundred 
prisoners :  General  French's  loss  was  about  seventy. 

"While  the  Third  Corps  was  thus  passing  the  Rappahan- 
nock  at  Kelly's  Ford,  the  Sixth  was  effecting  a  crossing 
under  more  formidable  difficulties  at  Rappahannock  Sta- 
tion. On  the  north  side  the  defences  consisted  of  a  strong 
fort,  two  redoubts,  and  several  rifle-pits.  These  works 
were  held  by  nearly  two  thousand  men  belonging  to 
Early 's  Division  of  E well's  Corps.  Commanding  posi- 
tions to  the  rear  of  the  fort  having  been  obtained,  heavy 
batteries  were  planted  thereon,  and  a  fierce  cannonade 
opened  between  the  two  sides.  Just  before  dark,  the 
storming  party,  consisting  of  Russell's  and  Upton's  Bri- 
gades, was  formed,  and  the  works  carried  by  a  very  bril- 
liant coup  de  main.  Over  fifteen  hundred  prisoners,  four 
guns,  and  eight  battle-flags  were  taken.  General  Sedg- 
wick's  loss  was  about  three  hundred  killed  and  wounded. 

The  Third  Corps,  after  the  successful  crossing  at  Kel- 
ly's Ford,  camped  for  the  night  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Rappahannock,  and  on  the  following  morning  (Sunday, 
8th)  resumed  the  advance,  followed  by  the  Second  and 
First  Corps  in  order.  About  noon  they  came  upon  a 
strong  force  of  cavalry  and  light  artillery,  two  miles  east 
of  Brandy  Station,  engaging  and  pursuing  them  to  a  point 
two  miles  beyond  that  place,  the  fighting  continuing  till 
after  dark.  Meanwhile,  the  other  corps  (the  Fifth  and 
Sixth)  were  scouring  the  country  up  the  river  and  towards 
Stevensburg.  The  rebels  had  all  retreated  but  a  few 
hours  before.  Camps  were  found  prepared  for  winter- 
quarters. 

The  following  dispatches  were  sent  by  General  Meade : 

11  HEAD-QUARTERS  ARMY  OP  THE  POTOMAC,  ) 
November  1 — 9.30  p.  M.     J 

"  Major-General  Sedgwick  advanced  to  the  railroad  crossing,  where  he 
drove  the  enemy  to  the  river,  assaulted  and  captured  two  redoubts  with 
artillery,  on  this  side,  taking  a  number  of  prisoners. 

"  Major-General  French  advanced  to  Kelly's  Ford,  driving  the  enemy, 
in  small  force,  across  the  river,  and  captured  several  hundred  prisoners  at 
the  ford.  *  GEORGE  G.  MEADE,  Majvr-  General  Commanding." 


822  HISTOEY  OF  THE  GKEAT  KEBELLION. 

"  HEAD-QUARTERS  ARMY  OP  THE  POTOMAC,  ) 
November  7—10  p.  M.      f 

"General  Sedgwick  reports  capturing,  this  P.  M.,  in  his  operations,  four 
colonels,  three  lieutenant-colonels,  and  many  other  officers,  and  over  eight 
hundred  men,  together  with  four  battle-flags. 

"General  French  captured  over  four  hundred  prisoners,  officers  and 
men.  "GEORGE  G.  MEADE,  Major- General  Commanding." 

The  following  telegram  was  sent  by  President  Lincoln 
to  General  Meade,  and  published  to  the  Army  on  the 
10th  :— 

"WASHINGTON,  Monday,  November  9,  1863. 

"  MAJOR-GEWERAL  MEADST: — I  have  seen  your  dispatches  about  opera- 
tions on  the  Rappahannock  on  Saturday,  and  I  wish  to  say  '  Well  done.' 
(Signed)  "  A.  LINCOLN." 

The  sum-total  of  the  movement  was  to  transfer  the  line 
of  the  rebels  from  the  south  side  of  the  Rappahannock 
to  the  south  side  of  the  Rapidan ;  and  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  from  the  line  of  Cedar  Run  to  the  line  of 
the  Upper  Rappahannock.  Here  General  Meade  took 
up  his  position,  which  was  further  strengthened  by 
breastworks,  and  the  restoration  of  the  railroad  in  his 
rear  was  at  once  commenced. 

The  main  force  of  the  enemy  remained  between  the 
Rapidan  and  Orange  Court-House,  the  river  being  thor- 
oughly guarded.  Its  natural  strength  is  considerable, 
since  it  commands  the  northern  bank.  The  rebel  defen- 
ces on  the  south  side  of  the  Rapidan  were  of  a  very  formi- 
dable character,  being  situated  on  ridges  from  thirty  to  a 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  river  level,  and  elevated 
considerably  above  the  northern  bank,  where  the  ground 
falls  into  an  extended  plain,  presenting  on  our  side  every 
possible  disadvantage  for  strategic  movements. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GEEAT  REBELLION.  823 


CHAPTER   XLIV. 

Meade's  Advance  across  the  Bapidan. — Recrosses. — Winter-Quarters. — 
Draft  for  Three  Hundred  Thousand  Men. — Reconnoissanoe. — Kilpatrick's 
Raid  upon  Richmond. — Death  of  Dahlgren. 

THE  armies  maintained  their  positions  without  material 
change  until  Thanksgiving  Day,  November  26,  when 
General  Meade,  impressed  with  the  idea  that  Lee  was 
in  retreat,  issued  orders  for  an  advance.  The  cavalry 
grossed  the  Rapidan,  and,  discovering  that  the  enemy  had 
withdrawn,  advanced  in  pursuit.  The  movement  of  the 
main  army  was  as  follows :  The  Second  Corps,  General 
"Warren,  crossed  at  Germania  Ford,  takiffg  the  road  to 
Orange  Court-House,  via  Robertson's  Tavern  ;  the  Third 
Corps,  General  French,  at  Jacob's  Mills  Ford,  and 'took 
position  at  night  on  the  right  of  the  Second  Corps ;  the 
Fifth  Corps,  General  Sykes,  at  Culpepper  Ford,  towards 
the  Fredericksburg  plankroad,  and  formed  a  junction 
with  the  Second  Corps  on  its  right,  at  the  forks  of  the 
road  at  Robertson's  Tavern ;  The  Sixth  Corps,  General 
Sedgwick,  followed  the  Third  Corps  at  Jacob's  Mills 
Ford ;  and  the  First  Corps,  General  Newton,  with  the 
reserve  artillery  and  wagon  trains,  followed  the  Fifth 
Corps  across  Culpepper  Ford.  The  wagons  were  parked 
at  Richardsville,  about  fifteen  miles  south  from  Rappa- 
hannock  Station. 

The  crossings  were  made  without  opposition.  The 
water  "was  about  waist  high,  and  the  men  forded  the 
river.  While  on  the  march  the  columns  were  halted,  and 
the  telegrams  announcing  the  victory  at  Chattanooga 
were  read  to  the  men.  The  news  was  received  with  the 
wildest  enthusiasm.  The  air  was  darkened  with  caps 
.  thrown  up  by  officers  and  men,  and  resonant  with  cheers. 

Before  this  advance,  the  enemy  fell  back  and  took  up  a 
position  at  Mine  Run,  southwest  of  Chancellorsville, 
where  severe  combats  took  place  on  the  27th  and  30th. 


824:  HISTORY   OF  THE   GKEAT  REBELLION.1 

The  strength  of  this  position  was  such  that  it  was  not 
deemed  prudent  to  attack.  The  soundness  of  this  judg- 
ment was  tested  some  months  later,  when  Grant  vainly- 
attempted,  with  a  much  larger  force,  to  carry  the  position. 
General  Meade,  in  consequence,  withdrew  his  troops  on 
December  1,  and  reoccupied  the  position  whence  he  had 
advanced,  near  Brandy  Station,  on  the  Orange  and  Alex- 
andria Railroad.  The  army  of  Lee  resumed  its  former 
position  at  Orange  Court-House,  his  advance  guarding 
the  fords  of  the  Kapidan. 

The  work  of  recruiting  the  army  was  now  in  progress. 
The  President,  under  date  of  October  17,  issued  a  call  for 
three  hundred  thousand  men,  to  serve  for  three  years  or 
the  war,  and  the  Governors  of  the  States  were  called  upon 
to  raise  and  have  enlisted  the  quotas  due  from  their  States. 
In  case  the  required  number  should  not  volunteer  under 
this  call,  a  draft  was  to  be  made  on,  January  5,  1864. 
By  means  of  liberal  bounties  offered  to  veteran  recruits,  a* 
large  number  of  the  men  of  Meade's  army,  whose  time 
would  expire 4kn  the  spring  of  1864,  were  induced  to  re- 
enlist  under  this  call,  thirty  days'  furlough  being  allowed 
them.  Towards  the  close  of  December  the  men  began  to 
leave  for  their  homes,  and  as  the  work  of  reorganizing  the 
army  consumed  many  weeks,  there  was  but  little  active 
work,  and  no  important  military  movement  was  under- 
taken. 

Towards  the  close  of  January,  1864,  it  was  determined 
to  consolidate  the  five  corps,  which  then  composed  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  into  three,  under  Generals  Sedg- 
wick,  Hancock,  and  "Warren,  who  thereafter  commanded 
respectively  the  Sixth,  Second,  and  Fifth.  The  First  and 
Third  ceased  to  exist.  The  re-enlistments  went  on  rather 
slowly  under  the  call  of  October,  and  on  the  1st  of  Feb- 
ruary the  following  order  appeared  : — 

"  EXECUTIVE  MANSION,       ) 
"  WASHINGTON,  February  1.    \ 

"  Ordered,  That  a  draft  for  five  hundred  thousand  men  to  serve  for  three 
years  or  during  the  war  be  make  on  the  10th  day  of  March  next,  for  the 
military  service  of  the  United  States,  crediting  and  deducting  therefrom  so 
many  as  may  have  been  enlisted  or  drafted  into  the  service  prior  to  the  first 
day  of  March,  and  not  heretofore  credited. 

(Signed)  "  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN." 

By  a  circular  issued  by  the  Provost-Marshal-General, 


HISTOKY  OP  THE   GKEAT   KEBELLION.  825 

it  appeared  that  this  call  amounted  practically  to  a  call 
for  two  hundred  thousand  men  in  addition  to  those  re- 
quired by  the  October  call.  The  Confederates^  on  their 
side,  were  stimulated  by  the  vigor  of  the  Northern  efforts 
to  raise  troops  by  fresh  conscriptions,  and  the  utmost 
rigor  was  exercised  in  filling  their  depleted  ranks. 
General  Meade  was  at  this  time  ill  in  Philadelphia,  and 
rumors  began  to  spread  of  the  selection  of  a  new  com- 
mander for  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  which,  however, 
proved  to  be  utterly  groundless.  The  two  armies  con- 
tinued comparatively  inactive  until  the  6th  of  February, 
when  a  reconnoissance  in  force  was  undertaken  by  Gen- 
eral Sedgwick.  Kilpatrick's  Division  of  Cavalry,  sup- 
ported by  battery  C,  Third  United  States  Artillery 
(Braxton  Bragg's  old  battery),  advanced  on  the  extreme 
left  and  crossed  the  Rapidan  at  Ely's  Ford ;  after  which 
the  cavalry  was  divided  into  squads  to  scour  the  country 
in  the  direction  of  Richardson  s  Tavern  and  Fredericks- 
burg,  on  the  left.  The  duty  was  thoroughly  performed, 
but  no  enemy  was  discovered  in  force.  The  cavalry  then 
recrossed  the  Rapidan.  The  Second  and  Third  Divisions 
of  the  Second  Corps  were  ordered  to  cross  at  Stevensburg 
early  on  the  6th,  but  as  the  pontoons,  which  were  ordered, 
had  failed  to  arrive,  the  Second  Division  boldly  forded 
the  deep  stream  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  who  held  his 
ground,  and  the  fight  continued  all  day.  The  two  divi- 
sions were  withdrawn  on  the  7th,  after  having  lost  two 
hundred  men  in  killed  and  wounded,  most  of  whom  were 
in  the  Second  Corps.  General  Merritt's  Division  of 
Cavalry  advanced  on  the  right,  and  crossed  at  Barnett's 
Ford.  They  had  a  brisk  skirmish  with  some  of  Stuart's 
cavalry,  and  recrossed  on  Sunday,  the  7th.  The 
results  of  the  movement  did  not  confirm  the  impression 
that  had  been  current  as  to  the  demoralization  of  the 
enemy.  In  connection  with  this  movement  a  cavalry 
raid,  started  from  the  lower  peninsula,  demonstrated 
against  Richmond,  but  finding  the  rebels  on  the  alert, 
proceeded  no  farther  than  Bottom's  Bridge  over  the 
Chickahominy. 

^  There  was  little  further  of  interest  until  the  28th  of 
February,  when  the  cavalry  command  of  Kilpatrick 
moved  from  Stevensburg,  Virginia,  on  a  bold  raid, 
having  for  its  object  the  liberation  of  Union  prisoners 


826  HISTORY  OF  THE  GEEAT  REBELLION. 

confined  in  Richmond.  That  this  dashing  attempt  did 
not  meet  with  full  success,  does  not  detract  from  the 
originality  of  tho  enterprise.  The  troops  crossed  the 
Rapidan  at  Ely's  Ford,  where  Captain  Dahlgren  was 
detached  with  a  picked  command  on  a  special  mission, 
while  the  main  body  pushed  on  through  Spottsylvania 
Court-House  to  Beaver  Dam,  which  they  reached  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  29th.  Much  destruction  of  bridges  and 
railroads  here  took  place,  and  the  column  advanced  across 
the  South  Anna  at  Taylorsville,  and  at  half-past  ten  A.  M. 
of  the  30th  were  within  the  outer  defences  »f  Richmond, 
on  the  Brook  turnpike,  three  and  a  half  miles  from  the 
city.  On  passing  the  second  line  of  defences,  the  force 
met  the  fire  of  the  enemy  from  the  third  line.  The 
bridge  over  Brook  Creek  having  now  been  destroyed  by 
the  enemy,  and  the  fire  in  front  increasing,  Kilpatrick 
moved  off  rapidly  on  the  Meadow  Bridge  road,  destroy- 
ing property  as  he  went.  The  command  encamped  at 
evening  near  the  Chickahominy,  repulsed  an  attack  dur- 
ing the  night,  and,  finding  that  the  enemy  had  destroyed 
the  boats  on  the  Pamunkey,  in  the  morning  moved  down 
the  Peninsula,  harassed  by  the  enemy  on  flank  and 
rear.  Meantime,  Captain  Dahlgren  proceeded  to  Freder- 
icshall  to  destroy  munitions  there,  but,  finding  the  place1 
too  strong,  declined  to  attack,  and  moved  off  to  the 
James  River  Canal,  which  he  reached  eight  miles  east  of 
Goochland  Court-House.  Here  he  destroyed  a  good  deal 
of  property,  and  hanged  a  guide,  who  had  purposely 
misled  him.  The  command  then  proceeded  towards 
Richmond,  which  it  reached  after  the  retreat  of  Kil- 
patrick. Encountering  a  body  of  the  enemy's  cavalry, 
Dahlgren  fell  back,  and  with  one  hundred  men  got 
separated  from  his  main  body,  which,  under  Captain 
Mitchell,  joined  Kilpatrick,  who  with  his  command 
reached  "Vfalliamsburg.  Colonel  Dahlgren  was  killed 
while  pushing  towards  the  York  River,  and  most  of  his 
men  taken  prisoners.  The  enemy  claimed  to  have  found 
upon  Dahlgren's  body  papers  detailing  a  plan  for  destroy- 
ing Richmond  by  incendiarism,  'and  murdering  the 
members  of  the  Government.  The  report  of  the  rebel 
Secretary  of  War  gave  particulars  of  the  alleged  inten- 
tions of  Dahlgren  ;  but  the  friends  of  Dahlgren  and  the 
United  States  Government  have  denied  that  any  such 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION.  827 

plan  was  devised,  and  the  alleged  instructions  bear 
internal  evidence  of  being  a  clumsy  forgery  of  the  enemy. 
A  co-operating  force,  sent  by  Butler  from  Fortress 
Monroe  to  aid  this  raid,  failed  to  come  up  in  time,  and 
the  enterprise  failed  of  any  practical  results,  except  the 
destruction  of  public  property.  This  may  be  considered 
the  more  unfortunate,  as  it  is  now  known  that  at  the 
time  Eichmond  was  defended  by  a  totally  inadequate 
force,  and  might,  perhaps,  by  a  vigorous  exertion,  have 
been  entered  by  the  Union  cavalry. 


828  msTOET  OF  THE  GEEAT  REBELLION. 

I 


CHAPTER   XLV. 

Creation  of  the  Office  of  Lieutenant-GeneraL — General  Grant  Appointed. — 
Army  Reorganization. — Draft  for  Two  Hundred  Thousand  Men. — 
General  Grant  assumes  Command  in  Chief. — Powers  of  the  Lieu- 
tenant-GeneraL— Country  between  Washington  and  Richmond. — Rule 
of  Advance. — Rebel  Position, 

THE  main  army  was  now  rested,  and  measures  were  in 
progress  to  give  it  a  thorough  reorganization.  Congress 
having  passed  a  bill  reviving  the  office  of  Lieutenant- 
General,  and  recommending  General  Grant  for  the  office, 
on  the  10th  of  March  a  general  order  issued  relieving 
General  Halleck  from  duty  as  general-in-chief  of  the 
army,  and  assigning  General  Grant  to  the  command  of 
the  armies  of  the  United  States,  with  head-quarters  in 
the  field.  General  Halleck  was  appointed  chief  of  the 
staff.  The  command  was  assumed  on  the  following 
general  order : — 

"  HEAD-QUARTERS  OF  THE  ARMIES  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES,  ) 

"NASHVILLE,  TENNESSEE,  March  17,  1864.  ) 

GENERAL  ORDER,   NO.  12. 

11  In  pursuance  of  the  following  order  of  the  President : — 

"  '  EXECUTIVE  MANSION,  WASHINGTON,  March  10,  1864. 
"  '  Under  the  authority  of  the  act  of  Congress  to  appoint  to  the  grade  of 
lieutenant-general  in  the  army,  of  February  29,  1864,  Lieutenant-General 
Ulysses  S.  Grant,  United  States  Army,  is  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
armies  of  the  United  States. 

"  ' ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.' 

— I  assume  command  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States.  Head-quarters 
will  be  in  the  field,  and,  until  further  orders,  will  be  with  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  There  will  be  an  office  head-quarters  in  Washington,  to  which 
all  official  communications  will  be  sent,  except  those  from  the  army  where 
the  head-quarters  are  at  the  date  of  their  address. 

"U.  S.  GRANT,  lieutenant- General." 

Following  this  order  was  a  new  call  for  a  draft  of  two 
hundred  thousand  men,  as  follows  : — 

"EXECUTIVE  MANSION,  WASHINGTON,  March  14, 1864. 

GENERAL  ORDERS,  NO.  100. 

"  In  order  to  supply  the  force  required  to  be  drafted  for  the  Navy,  and 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT  KEBELLION.  829 

to  provide  an  ample  reserve  force  for  all  contingencies,  in  addition  to  the 
five  hundred  thousand  men  called  for  February  1,  1864,  the  call  is  hereby 
made,  and  a  draft  ordered,  for  two  hundred  thousand  men  for  the  military 
service,  Army,  Navy,  and  Marine  Corps  of  the  United  States. 

"The  proportioned  quotas  for  the  different  wards,  towns,  townships, 
precincts,  or  election  districts  or  counties,  will  be  made  known  through  the 
Provost-Marshal-General's  Bureau,  and  accounts  will  be  taken  of  the 
credits  and  deficiencies  of  former  quotas. 

"  The  15th  day  of  April,  1864,  is  designated  as  the  time  up  to  which  the 
numbers  required  from  each  ward  of  a  city,  town,  <fcc.,  may  be  raised  by 
voluntary  enlistment,  and  drafts  will  be  made  in  such  wards  of  a  city, 
town,  &c.,  which  shall  not  have  filled  the  quota  assigned  to  it  within  the 
time  designated  for  the  number  required  to  fill  said  quota. 

"The  drafts  will  be  commenced  as  soon  after  the  15th  of  April  as 
practicable. 

"  The  Government  bounties,  as  now  paid,  continue  until  April  1,  1864, 
at  which  tune  the  additional  bounties  cease.  On  and  after  that  date,  one 
hundred  dollars  only  will  be  paid,  as  provided  by  the  act  approved  July 
22,  1861. 

(Signed)  "ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

"Official:  E.  D.  TOWNSEND,  A.  A.  <?." 

This  call,  with  the  two  previous  ones  of  October  and 
February,  made  seven  hundred  thousand  men  called  for 
in  six  months.  While  the  material  was  thus  provided, 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  underwent  an  entire  reorgani- 
zation, as  may  be  seen  by  the  following  order : — 

KEOKGANIZATION  OF  THE  AKMT  OF  THE  POTOMAC. 

"  HEAD-QUARTERS  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC,    > 
"  Thursday,  March  24,  1864.  J 

"  GENERAL  ORDERS,  NO.  10. 

"  The  following  order  has  been  received  from  the  "War  Department: — 

"  'WAR DEPARTMENT,  ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S  OFFICE,  ) 
"  '  WASHINGTON,  March  23,  1864.  f 

"  '  GENERAL  ORDERS,   NO.  415. 

"'First. — By  direction  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  the  number 
of  army  corps  composing  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  will  be  reduced  to 
three,  viz. :  the  Second,  Fifth,  and  Sixth  Corps.  The  troops  of  the  other 
two  corps,  viz.,  the  First  and  Third  Corps,  will  be  temporarily  reorganized 
and  distributed  among  the  Second,  Fifth,  and'  Sixth,  by  the  commanding 
general,  who  will  determine  what  existing  organizations  will  retain  their 
corps  badges  and  other  distinctive  marks.  The  staff  officers  of  the  two 
corps,  which  are  temporarily  broken  up,  will  be  assigned  to  vacancies  in 
the  other  corps,  so  far  as  such  vacancies  may  exist.  Those  for  whom  there 
are  no  vacancies  will  cease  to  be  considered  as  officers  of  the  general  staff 
of  army  corps. 

" '  Second. — Major-General  G.  W.  Warren  is  assigned  by  the  President  to 
the  command  of  the  Fifth  Corps. 


830  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

"  '  Third. — The  following  general  officers  are  detached  from  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  and  will  report  for  orders  to  the  adjutant  of  the  army,  viz.: 
Major-General  George  Sykes,  U.  S.  Vols.,  Major-General  "W.  II.  French,  U. 
S.  Vols.,  Major-General  John  Newton,  U.  S.  Vols.,  Brigadier-General  J.  R. 
Kenly,  U.  S.  Vols.,  Brigadier-General  F.  Spinola,  U.  S.  Vols.,  Brigadier- 
General  Solomon  Meredith,  TJ.  S.  Vols. 

"  '  By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

"  '  E.  D.  TOWNSEXD,  A.  A.  G: 

"  Fourth. — The  following  arrangements  are  made  to  carry  out  the  provi- 
sions of  the  foregoing  order  : — The  Second,  Fifth,  and  Sixth  Army  Corps 
will  be  consolidated  into  two  divisions.  The  first  and  second  divisions  of 
the  Third  Corps  are  transferred  to  the  Second  Corps,  preserving  their 
badges  and  distinctive  marks.  The  third  division  of  the  Third  Corps  is 
transferred  permanently  to  the  Sixth  Corps.  The  three  divisions  now 
forming  the  First  Corps  are  transferred  to  the  Fifth  Corps,  preserving  their 
badges  and  distinctive  marks,  and  on  joining  the  Fifth  Corps,  they  will  be 
consolidated  into  two  divisions.  The  commander  of  the  division  transferred 
to  the  Second,  Fifth,  and  Sixth  Corps  will  at  once  report  to  the  com- 
manders of  those  corps  for  instructions.  Brigadier-General  J.  B.  Carr  will 
report  to  Major-General  Hancock,  commanding  the  Second  Corps,  and  Briga- 
dier-General H.  Prince  to  Major-General  Sedgwick,  commanding  the  Sixth 
Corps.  The  chief  of  artillery  will  assign  eight  batteries  each  to  the  Second, 
Fifth,  and  Sixth  Corps,  these  batteries  to  be  taken  from  those  now  with 
the  corps,  and  with  the  First  and  Third  Corps.  The  batteries  with  the 
several  corps  in  excess  of  the  above  allowance  will  join  the  artillery  reserve. 
The  consolidation  of  divisions  called  for  in  this  order  will  be  made  by  the 
corps  commanders  concerned,  who  are  authorized  to  rearrange  the 
brigades  of  their  respective  commands  in  such  manner  as  they  may  think 
best  for  the  service.  The  reassignment  of  officers  of  the  staff  departments, 
consequent  upon  the  reorganization  of  the  army,  will  be  made  upon  the 
nominations  of  the  chiefs  of  staff  departments  at  these  head-quarters. 
Special  instructions  will  be  given  hereafter  with  respect  to  staff  officers  of 
the  two  corps  temporarily  broken  up. 

"  Fifth. — The  major-general  commanding  avails  himself  of  the  occasion  to 
say,  that  in  view  of  the  reduced  strength  of  nearly  ah"  the  regiments  serving 
in  this  army,  the  temporary  reduction  of  the  army  corps  to  three  is  a  measure 
imperatively  demanded  by  the  best  interests  of  the  service,  and  that  the  rea- 
sons for  attaching  the  First  and  Third  Corps,  for  the  time  being,  to  other  corps, 
were  in  no  respect  founded  upon  any  supposed  inferiority  of  those  corps,  to 
the  other  corps  of  this  army.  All  the  corps  have  equally  proved  their  valor 
on  many  fields,  and  all  have  equal  claims  to  the  confidence  of  the  Govern- 
ment and  of  the  country.  The  First  and  Third  Corps  will  retain  their 
badges  and  distinctive  marks,  and  the  major-general  commanding  indulges 
the  hope  that  the  ranks  of  the  army  will  be  filled  at  an  early  day,  so  that 
those  corps  can  again  be  reorganized. 

"By  command  of  Major-General  Meade. 

(Signed)  "  S.  WILLIAMS,  A.  A.  G." 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  reorganization  of 
the  corps : — 

FIFTH  ABMT  CORPS, 
i 

Major-General  Warren,  Commanding. 
The  consolidation  of  divisions  and  arrangement  of  brigades  is  made  as 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  831 

follows : — The  Commanding  officer  of  the  First  Division  of  the  old  Fifth 
Corps  is  ordered  to  consolidate  the  three  brigades  into  two  brigades,  to  be 
designated  as  the  First  and  Second  Brigades,  First  Division,  Fifth  Army 
Corps.  The  old  Second  Division,  Fifth  Corps,  has  been  consolidated  into 
one  brigade,  to  be  designated  as  the  Third  Brigade,  First  Division,  Fifth 
Corps,  commanded  by  Brigadier-General  R.  B.  Ayres.  The  old  Third 
Division,  Fifth  Corps,  will  remain  as  the  new  Third  Division,  Fifth  Army 
Corps.  The  Second  Brigade  of  the  Third  Division,  First  Army  Corps,  has 
been  transferred  to  the  Second  Division,  First  Army  Corps,  and  this  divi- 
sion will  hereafter  be  designated  as  the  Second  Division,  Fifth  Army  Corps. 
The  First  Brigade  of  the  Third  Division,  First  Army  Corps,  has  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  First  Division,  First  Army  Corps,  and  this  division  will  here- 
after be  designated  as  the  Fourth  Division,  Fifth  Army  Corps.  The  desig- 
nating flags  of  the  old  Third  Brigade,  First  Division,  Fifth  Army  Corps ;  of 
the  old  Second  Division,  Fifth  Army  Corps;  of  the  old  Second  Brigade, 
Second  Division,  Fifth  Army  Corps ;  and  of  Third  Division,  First  Army 
Corps,  are  ordered  to  be  turned  in  to  the  corps  quartermaster. 

The  following  is  the  assignment  of  general  officers  to  commands  in  the 
consolidated  corps : — 

1.  Brigadier-General  J.  S.  "Wadsworth,  commanding  Fourth  Division. 

2.  Brigadier-General  S.  "W.  Crawford,  commanding  Third  Division. 

3.  Brigadier-General  J.  C.  Robinson,  commanding  Second  Division. 

4.  Brigadier-General  Charles  Griffin,  commanding  First  Division. 

6.  Brigadier-General  R.  B.  Ayres,  commanding  Third  Brigade,  First 
Division. 

6.  Brigadier-General  L.  Cutter,  commanding  First  Brigade,  Fourth  Divi- 
sion. 

7.  Brigadier-General    Henry  Baxter,    commanding    Second   Brigade, 
Second  Division. 

8.  Brigadier-General  J.  J.  Bartlett,  commanding  Second  Brigade,  First 
Division. 

9.  Brigadier-General  James  Barnes,  commanding  First  Brigade,  First 
Division. 

10.  Brigadier-General  J.  0.  Rice,  commanding  Second  Brigade,  Fourth 
Division. 

The  following  is  a  portion  of  the  corps  staff: — 
Lieutenant-Colonel  H.  C.  Bankhead,  Inspector-General. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  F.  A.  Locke,  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 
Captain  D.  L.  Smith,  Acting  Chief  Commissary  of  Subsistence. 
*  Captain  W.  T.  Gentry,  Commissary  of  Musters. 
The  other  officers  of  the  staff  have  not  yet  been  assigned. 

SECOND   CORPS. 

• 

Major-General  Hancock,  Commanding. 

The  original  regiments  of  the  Second  Corps  have  been  consolidated  into 
two  divisions,  with  a  new  assignment  of  division  and  brigade  commanders. 

The  division  formerly  known  as  the  First  Division  of  the  Third  Corps, 
commanded  by  Major-General  Birney,  has  been  designated  as  the  Third 
Division  of  the  Second  Corps.  The  division  formerly  known  as  the  Second 
Division  of  the  Third  Corps,  to  which  Brigadier-General  Carr  has  been 
assigned  as  commander,  will  hereafter  be  known  as  the  Fourth  Division  of 
the  Second  Corps.  Each  of  these  divisions  has  been  reduced  to  two 
brigades.  The  organization  of  the  staff  of  the  Second  Corps  has  not  yet 
been  completed. 


832  HISTORY  OF  THE  GEEAT  REBELLION. 

The  following  is  the  arrangement  of  divisions  and  assignment  of  com- 
manders ; — 

FIRST  DIVISION. 

Brigadier-General  T.  C.  Barlow. 

First  Brigade — Colonel  N.  A.  Niles,  Sixty-first  New  York. 
Second  Brigade — Colonel  T.  A.  Smythe,  First  Delaware  Volunteers. 
Third  Brigade — Colonel  P.  Frank,  Fifty-second  New  York. 
Fourth  Brigade — Colonel  J.  R.  Brooke,  Fifty-fifth  Pennsylvania. 

SECOND  DIVISION. 

Brigadier-General  John  Gibbon. 

First  Brigade — Brigadier-General  A.  S.  "Webb. 
Second  Brigade — Brigadier-General  J.  P.  Owens. 
Third  Brigade— Colonel  S.  S.  Carroll,  Eighth  Ohio. 

THIRD  DIVISION: 
Major-General  D.  B.  Birney. 

First  Brigade — Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Ward. 
Second  Brigade — Brigadier-General  A.  Haye. 

TOURTH  DIVISION. 

Brigadier-General  J.  B.  Carr. 

First  Brigade — Brigadier-General  G.  Mott. 

Second  Brigade — Colonel  W.  R.  Brewster,  Seventy-third  New  York. 

Chief  of  Artillery— Colonel  Tibball. 

SIXTH  CORPS. 

General  Sedgwick,  Commanding. 

The  old  Third  Division,  Sixth  Corps,  is  broken  up,  one  brigade  (Shaler's) 
going  to  the  First  Division  ;  the  Second  (Wheaton's  and  Eustis's)  going  to 
the  Second  Division.  The  Third  Division,  Third  Corps,  is  transferred  to 
the  Sixth  Corps,  and  General  Prince  is  assigned  to  the  command  of  it. 
The  three  brigades  of  this  division  are  consolidated  into  two,  under  Gen- 
eral Russell  and  General  Morris. 

FIRST  DIVISION. 

Brigadier-General  H.  G.  Wright. 

First  Brigade — Brigadier-General  A.  T.  A.  Torbert. 
Second  Brigade — Colonel  E.  Upton,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-first  New 
York.  « 

Third  Brigade — Colonel  H.  Burnham,  Fifth  Maine  Volunteers. 
Fourth  Brigade — Brigadier-General  A.  Shaler. 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  833 

SECOND  DIVISION.  ^ 

Brigadier-General  G-.  W.  Getty. 

First  Brigade — Brigadier-General  F.  Wheaton. 

Second  Brigade — Colonel  L.  A.  Grant,  "  Fremont "  Brigade. 

Third  Brigade — Brigadier-General  T.  H.  NeilL 

Fourth  Brigade — Brigadier-General  A.  L.  Eustis. 

THIRD  DIVISION. 

Brigadier-General  H.  Prince. 

First  Brigade — Brigadier-General  "W.  H.  Morris. 
Second  Brigade — Brigadier-General  D.  A.  Kussell. 
Colonel  C.  H.  Tompkins,  First  Ehode  Island  Artillery,  commanding  Ar- 
tillery. 

Each  of  the  generals  detached  took  leave  of  his  troops 
in  a  general  order..  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan  was 
summoned  from  the  West  to  take  command  of  the 
cavalry  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

Lieutenant-General  Grant  arrived  in  Washington  on 
Tuesday,  April  8,  accompanied  by  General  Rawlings 
and  Colonel  Comstock.  On  the  afternoon  of  "Wednesday, 
the  9th,  the  President  formally  presented  to  him  at  the 
Cabinet  Chamber,  in  the  presence  of  the  entire  Cabinet, 
his  commission  as  lieutenant-general,  and  thus  addressed 
him: — 

"GENERAL  GRANT : — The  nation's  appreciation  of  what  you  have  done, 
and  its  reliance  upon  you  for  what  remains  to  be  done  in  the  existing  great 
struggle,  are  now  presented  with  this  commission  constituting  you  Lieuten- 
ant-General in  the  Army  of  the  United  States.  With  this  high  honor 
devolves  upon  you  also  a  corresponding  responsibility.  As  the  country 
herein  trusts  you,  so,  under  God,  it  will  sustain  you.  I  scarcely  need  to 
add,  that  with  what  I  here  speak  for  the  nation  goes  my  own  hearty  per- 
sonal concurrence." 

To  which  General  Grant  replied  as  follows : — 

"  MR.  PRESIDENT: — I  accept  the  commission  with  gratitude  for  the  high 
honor  conferred.  With  the  aid  of  the  noble  armies  that  have  fought  on  so 
many  fields  for  our  common  country,  it  will  be  my  earnest  endeavor  not  to 
disappoint  your  expectations.  I  feel  the  full  weight  of  the  responsibilities 
now  devolving  on  me,  and  I  know  that  if  they  are  met,  it  will  be  due  to 
those  armies,  and  above  all  to  the  favor  of  that  Providence  which  leada 
both  nations  and  men." 

General  Grant  was  then  introduced  to  the  Cabinet,  and 
some  time  was  Spent  in  conversation. 

51 


834:  HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT  REBELLION. 

The  new  general  lost  little  time  in  commencing  his 
new  duties.  He  issued  an  order  directing  all  civilians, 
sutlers,  and  their  employes,  to  proceed  to  the  rear  with 
all  their  property,  and  stopped  all  furloughs.  He  person- 
ally inspected  the  several  Eastern  departments,  visiting 
Fortress  Monroe,  Annapolis,  an/1  other  points,  during  the 
month  of  April.  The  weather  during  the  month  was 
adverse  to  army  movements,  as  incessant  rains  sufficed  to 
make  the  roads  impassable.  The  enemy  on  his  side  had 
recruited  with  great  vigor,  and  was  indefatigable  in  the 
construction  of  earthworks. 

In  illustration  of  the  ample  powers  conferred  upon 
General  Grant,  and  of  the  policy  pursued  towards  him 
by  the  President)<rthe  following  correspondence  is  of 
interest : — 

'•  EXECUTIVE  MANSION,  WASHINGTON,  April  30,  1864. 
"Lieutenant-General  GRANT: 

"  Not  expecting  to  see  you  before  the  spring  campaign  opens,  I  wish  to 
express  in  this  way  my  entire  satisfaction  with  what  you  have  done  up  to 
this  time,  so  far  as  I  understand  it.  '  The  particulars  of  your  plans  I  neither 
know,  nor  seek  to  know.  You  are  vigilant  and  self-reliant;  and  pleased 
with  this,  I  wish  not  to  obtrude  any  restraints  or  constraints  upon  you. 
While  I  am  very  anxious  that  any  great  disaster,  or  capture  of  our  men  in 
great  numbers,  shall  be  avoided,  I  know  that  these  points  are  less  likely 
to  escape  your  attention  than  they  would  be  mine.  If  there  be  any  thing 
wanting,  which  is  within  my  power  to  give,  do  not  fail  to  let  me  know  it. 

"  And  now,  with  a  brave  army  and  a  just  cause,  may  God  sustain  you. 
"  Yours,  very  truly,  A.  LINCOLN." 

GRANT'S  EEPLY. 

t        "HEAD-QUARTERS  ARMIES  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

"CULPEPPER  COURT-HOUSE,  May  I,  1864. 
"  THE  PRESIDENT: — Your  very  kind  letter  of  yesterday  is  just  received. 
The  confidence  you  express  for  the  future,  and  satisfaction  for  the  past,  in 
my  military  administration,  is  acknowledged  with  pride.  It  shall  be  my 
earnest  endeavor  that  you  and  the  country  shall  not  be  disapppointed. 
From  my  first  entrance  into  the  volunteer  service  of  the  country  until  the 
present  day,  I  have  never  had  cause  of  complaint,  have  never  expressed  or 
implied  a  complaint  against  the  Administration  or  the  Secretary  of  War, 
for  throwing  any  embarrassment  in  the  way  of  my  vigorously  prosecuting 
what  appeared  to  be  my  duty. 

"  Indeed,  since  the  promotion  which  placed  me  in  command  of  all  the 
armies,  and  in  view  of  the  great  responsibility  and  importance  of  success, 
I  have  been  astonished  at  the  readiness  with  which  every  thing  asked  for 
has  been  yielded,  without  even  an  explanation  being  asked.  Should  my 
success  be  less  than  I  desire  and  expect,  the  least  I  can  say  is,  the  fault  is 
not  with  you, 

"  Very  truly,  your  obedient  servant, 

"Q.  S.  GRANT,  Lieutenant- General" 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  835 

With  the  approach  of  spring  it  became  necessary  to 
complete  the  arrangements  for  another  advance  on  Rich- 
mond ;  and  this  time  it  was  apparently  determined  that 
there  should  be  no  lack  of  force  and  no  diversity  of  com- 
mand that  should  interfere  with  the  directness  and  effi- 
ciency of  the  blows  to  be  struck.  A  large  amount  of 
experience  had  now  been  gained  in  relation  to  the  mode 
of  conducting  the  campaign.  In  previous  years  direct 
advances  upon  Richmond  had  failed  in  various  stages  of 
progress,  the  army  of  the  invasion  generally  stopping 
short  at  the  Rappahannock  and  the  Rapidan.  The  diffi- 
culty of  passing  these  lines  was  beginning  to  be  con- 
sidered as  insuperable.  But  the  Government  was  deter- 
mined, by  augmented  force,  more  thoroughly  to  test  that 
problem.  The  physical  character  of  the  country  between 
Washington  and  Richmond  is  such  as  to  exert  an  unex- 
ampled influence  upon  military  operations. 

On  the  right  of  an  advancing  army  are  chains  of 
mountains,  which  enable  an  opposing  force  to  conceal 
any  flanking  movement  they  may  undertake,  while  the 
valleys  afford  to  it  the  means  for  an  easy  and  uninter- 
rupted passage  to  the  Potomac  above  Washington,  and 
one  almost  entirely  secure  from  attacks  in  its  rear.  On 
the  front  is  a  succession  of  rivers,  presenting  great  natural 
obstacles  to  an  advance,  and  at  the  same  time  easily 
defensible ;  to  make  flanking  movements  by  ascending 
them  is  to  open  the  rear  to  attacks  from  Fredericksburg, 
and  to  cross  below  the  enemy's  army  would  leave  the 
railroad  a  prey  to  guerrillas.  The  country  is,  moreover, 
masked  in  every  direction  by  dense  forests,  rendering  any 
thing  like  a  surprise  in  force  impracticable.  A  few 
scouts  may  at  all  times  easily  detect  and  thwart  such 
a  movement.  Such  are  the  natural  features  of  the 
country. 

It  is  a  well-known  rule  of  military  operations,  that  a 
"  base  "  should  neither  be  too  extended  nor  too  limited, 
and  it  should  be  accessible  by  several  routes.  The  base 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  just  the  width  of  a 
railroad  track,  and  that  railroad  furnished  really  the  only 
practicable  route  of  communication.  With  a  limited 
base  an  army  is  always  exposed  to  be  cut  in  the  rear. 
This  is  what  had  happened  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
at  every  advance.  Guerrilla  bands  infested  the  whole 


836  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

country  between  the  Rappahannock  and  Alexandria 
(some  sixty  miles),  and  it  is  impossible  to  protect  entirely 
in  a  hostile  country  such  an  extent  of  territory.  For 
every  mile  of  advance  beyond  Fairfax  Court-House,  five 
hundred  men  are  required  to  protect  the  rear.  An  entire 
corps  was  in  March  employed  by  General  Meade  in  doing 
this  from  the  Kappaliannock  to  Manassas,  and  the  troops 
of  the  Department  of  Washington  protected  the  track 
from  that  locality  to  Alexandria.  Hence  the  drain  of 
an  army  for  that  service  can  be  easily  estimated.  After 
passing  the  Rapidan,  if  railroad  communication  is  to  be 
relied  on  for  supplies,  a  strong  force  must  be  constantly 
kept  in  the  rear ;  every  train  will  even  then  be  exposed 
to  capture  by  bands  sweeping  down  from  the  mountains. 

The  rebel  leaders  fully  understood  all  these  circumstan- 
ces, and  were  always  ready  to  take  advantage  of  them. 
They  were  aware  that  they  could  hold  in  check,  with 
three-fifths  of  its  force,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Mean- 
time, they  pursued  the  Fabian  policy,  and  were  not  fool- 
ish enough  to  stake  every  thing  on  the  risk  of  a  battle, 
except  where  invulnerably  fortified.  Their  own  rear 
needed  no  protection  ;  they  had  two  railroad  routes,  be- 
sides all  the  ordinary  roads.  Thus  they  had  all  the  ad- 
vantage of  position  on  their  side. 

There-  were  several  methods  by  which  an  army  could 
overcome  these  obstacles :  First,  with  a  sufficient  force  to 
cover  its  flanks,  it  might  compel  the  enemy  to  retreat  and 
Richmond  to  be  abandoned.  Second,  it  might  be  able  to 
bring  on  an  engagement  which  would  prove  decisive. 
Third,  by  cutting  loose  from  Washington  and  becoming  a 
movable  column,  it  could  go  at  any  time  to  the  rear  of 
the  rebel  army  and  open  a  new  base  for  itself  on  the  Pa- 
munkey  or  York  River,  or  by  the  railroad  from  Freder- 
icksburg.  It  is  risking  nothing  to  say  that  the  army  could 
at  any  time  go  to  Richmond,  if  relieved  from  the  necessity 
of  protecting  its  rear.  This  could  have  been  done  when 
General  Meade  crossed  the  Rapidan  and  was  stopped  by 
the  rebel  works  on  Mine  Run.  The  army  could  transport 
fifteen  days'  subsistence  and  forage,  and  with  this  be  moved 
to  Hanover  Court-House,  to  operate  on  a  new  base.  Fif- 
teen days  is  the  period  usually  assigned  in  Europe  as  the 
length  of  a  march  from  one  base  of  operations  to  another, 
except  the  country  traversed  be  able  to  support  the  army. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  837 

In  Yirginia,  our  array  could  derive  no  advantage  from 
the  country.  It  could  not  subsist  itself  for  the  most  lim- 
ited period.  The  portion  of  the  State  which  had  been  the 
scene  of  war  was  exhausted.  Even  among  the  fertile 
farms  of  the  Peninsula  it  was  difficult  to  obtain  small 
supplies  of  forage ;  of  subsistence  for  the  men  there  was 
actually  nothing.  The  necessity  of  "  bases "  was  there- 
fore evident. 

The  works  occupied  by  Lee's  army  on  the  Rapidan  ex- 
tended on  the  right  three  miles  below  Raccoon  Ford. 
Swell's  Corps  and  Hill's  lay  behind  those  defences,  and 
stretched  out  on  each  side  of  Orange  Court-House,  along 
a  line  of  twenty  miles.  Longstreet,  having  returned  some 
time  before  from  Eastern  Tennessee,  occupied  the  country 
around  Gordonsville,  thirteen  miles  southwest  of  the  po- 
sition on  the  Rapidan.  Such  had  been  the  disposition  of 
the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  during  the  latter  part  of 
April. 

The  force  with  which  Grant  was  about  to  take  the  field 
was  magnificent  in  numbers  and  equipment.  Under  his 
personal  observation  moved  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
with  its  three  corps,  Hancock's  (Second),  Warren's  (Fifth), 
and  Sedgwick's  (Sixth),  recruited  to  over  forty  thousand 
men  each ;  in  addition  to  which,  the  Ninth  Corps,  under 
Burnside,  of  equal  strength  to  any  of  the  others,  and 
comprising  a  large  body  of  colored  troops,  was  to  consti- 
tute his  reserve  on  the  field.  In  connection  with  the 
direct  advance  of  this  army  by  land  towards  Richmond, 
there  were  to  be  co-operating  movements  up  the  James 
River  from  Fortress  Monroe,  and  up  the  Valley  of  the 
Shenandoah,  towards  Lynchburg,  the  former  to  be  con- 
ducted by  the  Army  of  the  James,  comprising  W.  T. 
("Baldy")  Smith's  (Eighteenth)  Corps,  and  Gilmore's 
(Tenth),  the  whole  under  the  command  of  General  Butler; 
and  the  latter  by  the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  compris- 
ing the  troops  under  General  Crook,  serving  in  Western 
Virginia,  and  somewhat  later,  Emery's  (Nineteenth)  Corps. 
This  movement  was  to  be  directed  by  Sigel.  These  three 
distinct  organizations,  converging  ultimately  toward  a 
single  point,  had,  indeed,  a  common  object,  but  upon  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  which  far  exceeded  the  others  in 
strength  and  effectiveness,  was  to  devolve  the  hardest  of 
the  fighting. 


838  HISTOEY  OF  THE  GREAT  EEBELLION. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

The  Army  in  Tennessee. — Results  of  Murfreesboro'. — Operations  in  Tennes- 
see.— Minor  Expeditions. — Advance  of  Rosecrans. — Retreat  of  Bragg. — 
Burnside's  Campaign  in  East  Tennessee. — Occupation  of  Knoxville. — 
Evacuation  of  Chattanooga. — Concentration  of  the  Enemy. — Battle  of 
Chickamauga. — The  Two  Generals. — Results  of  the  Battle. 

THE  battle  of  Stone  River,  near  Murfreesboro',  which 
closed  the  operations  of  the  year  1862,  in  Tennessee,  left 
General  Rosecrans  established  at  the  latter  place  with  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland.  The  army  occupied  a  position 
in  front  of  the- town,  and  a  series  of  extensive  earthworks, 
"completely  encircling  it,  were  constructed  for  the  purpose 
of  making  it  a  depot  of  supplies,  and  the  base  of  future 
operations.  The  railroad  track  and  the  bridges  in  the 
rear  towards  Nashville  were  also  repaired.  On  the  9th 
of  January,  the  army  was  divided  into  three  corps,  des- 
ignated the  Fourteenth,  Twentieth,  and  Twenty-first,  and 
commanded  respectively  by  Generals  Thomas,  MeCook, 
and  Crittenden.  Active  operations,  were,  however,  sus- 
pended, owing  to  the  rains  of  the  season.  Large  supplies 
were  collected  in  consequence  of  the  rise  of  the  Cumber- 
laud  River  at  Nashville  and  Murfreesboro'.  But  the  en- 
emy was  not  idle.  His  cavalry  overran  the  country,  and 
men  and  wagons  belonging  to  General  Rosecrans  were 
often  captured  by  him.  The  object  was  to  cut  off  the 
communications  between  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland 
and  its  supplies.  Thus,  also,  several  of  the  steamers  on 
the  Cumberland  River  were  captured  and  burned. 

On  the  31st  of  January,  1863,  General  Jeff.  C.  Davis, 
with  a  division  of  infantry  and  two  brigades  of  cavalry, 
under  Colonel  Minty,  moved  from  camp  on  an  expedition 
in  the  direction  of  Rover  and  Franklin.  The  force  was 
absent  thirteen  days,  during  which  it  scoured  the  country, 
making  many  captures  from  the  enemy.  On  the  Confed- 
erate side  there  was  much  activity  under  Colonel  Forrest, 
who  operated  to  cut  off  supplies  on  the  Cumberland.  On 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GEE  AT  REBELLION.  839 

the  5th  of  March,  a  Federal  brigade  at  Spring  Hill  was 
surprised  by  a  large  force  under  V  an  Dorn.  The  former 
consisted  of  the  Thirty-third  and  Eighty-fifth  Indiana, 
Twenty-second  Wisconsin,  and  Nineteenth  Michigan, 
numbering  fifteen  hundred  and  eighty-nine  men,  together 
with  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fourth  Ohio  and  six 
hundred  cavalry,  and  one  battery  of  six  small  guns,  all 
under  Colonel  John  Colburn.  Of  these,  thirteen  hundred 
and  six  men  were  captured.  The  cavalry  and  artillery 
escaped.  The  enemy  were  followed  to  Duck  River  by 
General  Sheridan,  who  succeeded  in  capturing  some 
prisoners.  On  the  20th  of  March,  a  force  of  fourteen 
hundred  men,  under  Colonel  A.  S.  Hall,  was  attacked  by 
the  Confederates,  under  John  Morgan,  at  Milton,  twelve 
miles  northeast  of  Murfreesboro',  and  after  a  sharp  con- 
flict the  assailants  were  driven  off'.  Many  expeditions 
were  sent  out  by  both  sides  with  more  or  less  success. 
About  the  10th  of  April,  Yan  Dorn,  with  a  force  of 
about  ten  thousand  men,  renewed  the  attack  at  Franklin 
upon  General  Granger,  whose  force  consisted  of  the  divi- 
sions of  Brigadier-Generals  Baird  and  Gilbert,  and  six- 
teen guns,  and  Brigadier-General  Smith's  cavalry  brigade 
of  eleven  hundred  and  twenty-eight  men  ;  also  a  cavalry 
force  of  sixteen  hundred  men  and  two  guns,  under  Colo- 
nel Stanley.  The  command  of  Stanley  was  severely 
handled  by  the  enemy,  who  finally  withdrew  with  the 
loss  of  many  killed  and  wounded  and  two  cannon.  On 
the  28th  of  April,  General  Reynolds's  Division,  with  a 
mounted  force,  moved  to  attack  the  enemy  at  McMinn- 
ville,  whence  supplies  were  sent  to  Chattanooga.  The 
operation  was  a  success.  In  the  first  week  of  April,  a 
cavalry  expedition,  consisting  of  the  First  Indiana,  Eigh- 
tieth Illinois,  and  portions  of  two  Ohio  regiments,  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  A.  D.  Streight,  numbering  alto- 
gether eighteen  hundred  men,  was  sent  into  Northern 
Georgia,  mainly  to  cut  the  railroads  which  supplied  the 
Confederate  army  by  way  of  Chattanooga.  At  Eastport 
he  formed  a  junction  with  General  Dodge's  force,  then 
marching  upon  Tuscumbia,  and  defeated  the  Confederate 
troops  stationed  there,  with  considerable  loss  to  them. 
Thence  he  moved  through  Northern  Georgia,  aiming  to 
reach  the  important  points  of  Rome  and  Atlanta.  Mean- 
while, General  Dodge,  with  his  force,  turned  southward, 


840  HISTORY  OF   THE   GEEAT   REBELLION. 

to  make  a  sweeping  raid  in  Northern  Alabama,  and  return 
to  his  head-quarters  at  Corinth. 

No  sooner  had  Colonel  Streight  commenced  his  march 
than  information  of  his  movements  was  received  by 
General  Forrest  and  Colonel  Roddy,  who,  with  a  cavalry 
force,  happened  to  be  within  striking  distance.  By  a 
rapid  movement  they  came  upon  the  rear  of  Colonel 
Streight,  and  commenced  a  running  fight,  which  con- 
tinued for  four  days,  during  which  there  were  two  severe 
battles,  and  several  spirited  skirmishes.  After  the  Fed- 
eral troops  had  marched  over  a  hundred  miles  towards  the 
heart  of  Georgia,  the  rebel  force  increased  to  overwhelm- 
ing numbers,  and  Colonel  Streight,  having  expended  his 
ammunition,  and  his  men  becoming  exhausted,  was  com- 
pelled to  surrender  at  a  point  fifteen  miles  from  Rome. 
His  men,  numbering  thirteen  hundred,  were  paroled  and 
sent  to  Virginia,  and  exchanged  about  two  months  after- 
wards. But  his  officers  were  retained  and  imprisoned, 
on  the  demand  of  the  Governor  of  Georgia,  by  whom 
they  were  claimed  as  having  incurred  the  penalty  fixed 
by  a  statute  of  the  State  for  inciting  slaves  to  rebellion. 
It  was  charged,  at  the  time  of  the  surrender,  that  negroes 
were  found  in  Colonel  Streight's  command,  uniformed 
and  bearing  arms.  This  was  denied  by  the  privates, 
who  asserted  that  only  five  or  six  negroes  were  with  the 
command,  and  they  had  started  with  it  from  Nashville. 
This  imprisonment  of  Colonel  Streight  caused  the  Fed- 
eral Government  to  suspend  the  exchange  of  Confederate 
officers,  and  subsequently  to  imprison  General  John 
Morgan  and  his  officers  in  the  penitentiary  of  Ohio. 
Colonel  Streight  was  then  released  from  imprisonment 
as  a  felon,  and  subsequently  General  Morgan  escaped. 
Colonel  Streight  also  effected  his  escape  from  the  rebel 
prison  in  Richmond. 

As  the  spring  wore  on  without  any  movement  being 
commenced  in  Tennessee,  the  inactivity  of  Rosecrans 
produced  much  dissatisfaction.  General  Grant  was  at 
that  time  pressing  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  watched  by 
Johnston  in  Mississippi,  while  Bragg  was  facing  Rose- 
crans. It  was  supposed  that  in  consequence  of  the 
pressing  needs  of  Pemberton  at  Vicksburg,  Bragg  was 
sending  troops  to  Johnston  to  enable  him  to  operate  upon 
Grant's  rear.  Hence,  Rosecrans,  re-enforced  by  Burn- 


HISTOKY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION.  841 

side,  was  ordered  to  attack  Bragg  while  he  was  thus 
weakened.  Rosecrans  replied  that  his  cavalry  was  not 
yet  mounted,  that  the  enemy  was  not  weakened  materi- 
ally, that  the  army  could  not  advance  with  reasonable 
prpspects  of  success,  and  that  a  decisive  movement  at 
that  time  was  not  advisable.  This  opinion  was  shared  by 
nearly  all  the  commanders  in  the  army.  If  Bragg  was 
about  to  aid  Johnston,  they  argued,  he  could  do  so  only 
by  leaving  Rosecrans's  front,  which  would  give  the  op- 
portunity to  advance.  On  the  other  hand,  if  Grant 
should  be  defeated,  Johnston  would  join  Bragg,  and  then 
Rosecrans  should  be  near  his  base,  to  receive  their  attack. 
Notwithstanding  these  reasons,  Rosecrans  commenced  on 
June  25th  a  series  of  operations  which,  without  bringing 
on  a  general  engagement,  resulted  in  the  retreat  of  the 
enemy,  on  July  4th,  upon  Chattanooga.  At  the  same 
time,  General  Stanley  occupied  Shelbyville,  and  pushed 
on  to  Huntsville,  while  Granger  held  the  former  place. 

This  retreat  of  Bragg,  by  abandoning  Middle  Tennes- 
see to  the  Federal  troops,  had  a  demoralizing  effect  upon 
his  forces,  and  discouraged  the  friends  of  the  Confederacy 
in  Tennessee.  The  Federal  losses  in  these  operations 
were  eighty-five  killed,  four  hundred  and  sixty-two 
wounded,  and  thirteen  missing.  There  were  captured 
from  the  enemy  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty-four 
prisoners,  and  six  pieces  of  artillery,  many  small-arms, 
much  camp  equipage,  and  large  quantities  of  commissary 
and  quartermaster's  stores.  Bragg,  having  returned  to 
Chattanooga  on  the  south  side  of  the  Tennessee  River, 
now  fortified  his  position,  and  threw  up  defensive  works  at 
the  crossing  of  the  river  and  as  far  up  as  Bly  the's  Ferry. 

The  plan  of  campaign  adopted  for  the  capture  of  the 
entire  upper  mountain  region  of  East  Tennessee  was  an 
advance  in  double  exterior  lines,  concentric  on  the  enemy. 
The  main  column,  under  Rosecrans,  was  to  move  from 
the  front  of  operations  at  Tullahorna  and  Winchester,  on 
Chattanooga;  and  a  co-operative  column,  under  Burn- 
side,  to  move  from  Lexington,  Kentucky,  on  Knoxville, 
and  thence  on  Chattanooga.  It  will  be  observed  that 
Rosecrans's  line  of  advance  was  almost  due  east — about 
eighty  miles — while  Burnside's  was  almost  due  south, 
about  two  hundred  miles.  As  both  aimed  at  one  common 
objective  point,  and  moved  on  it  from  opposite  points,- 


842  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION. 

with  the  enemy  lying  between  them,  the  lines  of  advance 
were,  as  we  have  named  them,  exterior  and  concentric 
towards  the  enemy. 

The  first  object  of  General  Rosecrans  was  to  repair  the 
railroad  from  Nashville  to  Stevenson  in  Alabama.  At 
Stevenson  the  Nashville  Railroad  unites  with  the  Mem- 
phis and  Charleston  road.  Stevenson  is  thirty-seven 
miles  west  of  Chattanooga  on  the  line  of  the  latter  road. 
Having  completed  his  preparations,  he  commenced  Au- 
gust loth  his  movement  on  Chattanooga  and  its  covering 
mountain  ridges  on  the  southeast.  On  that  day  General 
Thomas  moved  from  Decherd,  with  the  division  of  Payne 
in  advance,  and  occupied  Stevenson.  On  the  same  day 
McCook's  Corps  occupied  Salem,  ten  miles  from  Winches- 
ter, on  the  Huntsville  road,  and  moved  on  to  Bellepont, 
twelve  miles  east  of  Stevenson,  while  Crittenden  moved 
north  of  Chattanooga.  The  front  of  the  entire  move- 
ment extended  from  the  head  of  Sequatchie  Valley  in 
East  Tennessee  to  Athens  in  Alabama,  thus  threatening 
the  line  of  the  Tennessee  River  from  Whitesburg  to 
Blythe's  Ferry,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles. 

A  glance  at  the  map  will  show  that  the  Tennessee 
River,  after  running  due  westward  from  Chattanooga  for 
twenty  miles,  turns  abruptly,  and  takes  an  almost  due 
southerly  direction,  and  the  line  of  advance  of  Rose- 
crans's  army  eastward  would  meet  it  almost  at  right 
angles.  The  river  was  crossed  on  the  last  day  of  August 
at  three  points — Bridgeport,  Stevenson,  and  Shell  Mound 
— the  passage  being  effected  by  the  fords  and  one  pon- 
toon bridge.  While,  however,  the  main  body  of  the 
army — comprising  the  right  (McCook's  Corps,  the  Twen- 
tieth) and  the  centre  (Thomas's,  the  Fourth) — were 
thrown  over  the  river  at  the  points  indicated,  for  a  flank 
march  on  Chattanooga,  by  the  south  side  of  the  river,  the 
left  wing  of  the  army  (Crittenden's  Corps,  the  Twenty- 
first)  was  swung  round  the  bend  of  the  river,  on  the  north 
side,  for  a  direct  attack  from  that  side.  The  task  before 
the  two  columns  of  the  army,  therefore,  was,  for  the  first, 
an  advance  over  an  interval  of  thirty  miles,  between  the 
points  of  crossing  the  Tennessee  and  Chattanooga  (a 
country  exceedingly  rugged  and  mountainous) ;  and,  for 
the  second,  a  swinging  movement,  by  way  of  the  Sequat- 


HISTOKY  OF  THE  GKEAT  BEBELUON.  843 

chie  Yalley,  on  the  front  of  Chattanooga.  After  effect- 
ing the  passage  of  the  river,  on  the  31st,  Rosecrans  halt- 
ed his  columns,  for  some  days,  for  the  purpose  of  allow- 
ing part  of  the  programme  of  combined  operations  as- 
signed to  General  Burnside  to  be  further  developed. 

Burnside  had  assumed  the  command  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Ohio  in  March.  On  the  30th  of  that  month, 
General  Gillmore  engaged  and  defeated  a  large  force  of 
the  enemy  under  Pegram,  near  Somerset,  Kentucky. 
Other  operations  consisted  of  an  attempted  raid  in  Harri- 
son County,  Indiana,  from  which  the  enemy  were  driven 
back  with  a  loss  of  fifty-three  made  prisoners ;  and  a 
movement  under  Colonel  Saunders,  with  two  pieces  of 
artillery,  the  first  Tennessee  cavalry,  and  some  detach- 
ments from  General  Carter's  command,  by  which  the 
railroad  near  Knoxville  and  the  bridges  at  State  Creek, 
Strawberry  Plains,  and  Mossy  Creek  were  destroyed, 
and  ten  pieces  of  artillery,  one  thousand  stand  of  arms, 
and  five  hundred  prisoners  were  captured,  with  a  loss  of 
one  killed,  two  wounded,  and  a  few  missing.  The  depar- 
ture of  the  Ninth  Army  Corps  to  re-enforce  Grant  delay- 
ed somewhat  Burnside's  preparations  for  an  active  cam- 
paign in  East  Tennessee.  The  necessity,  however,  of  his 
co-operating  with  the  movements  of  Rosecrans,  com- 
pelled him  to  take  the  field  without  awaiting  the  return 
of  this  corps. 

At  this  time  .Buckner  was  in  command  of  the  Con- 
federate forces  in  East  Tennessee,  with  his  head-quarters 
at  Knoxville.  His  force  numbered  about  twenty  thou- 
sand men,  which  was  sufficient  to  have  retarded  the 
progress  of  Burnside  through  either  the  Cumberland,  Big 
Creek,  or  Wheeler's  Gap  in  the  mountains ;  but  he  avoid- 
ed that  route.  Concentrating  his  forces  at  Crab  Orchard, 
on  the  southerly  edge  of  Lincoln  County,  Kentucky, 
Burnside  prepared  for  the  movement  over  the  moun- 
tains. 

His  main  column  moved  on  three  routes,  the  objective 
point  being  Kingston,  which  place  was  reached  on  Sep- 
tember 1st.  On  the  same  da^y  Knoxville  was  occupied 
by  a  force  under  Colonel  Foster,  Buckner  having  pre- 
viously retreated  with  his  troops  to  form  a  junction  with 
Bragg,  and  General  Shackelford  immediately  pushed  for- 
ward to  secure  the,  costly  bridge  of  the  East  Tennessee 


844:  HI8TOKY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION. 

and  Georgia  Railroad,  which  crossed  the  Tennessee  at 
Loudon.  But  it  had  already  been  destroyed  by  the 
retiring  rebels.  Meanwhile,  a  small  column  had  marched 
from  Kentucky  on  Cumberland  Gap,  held  by  General 
Frazier,  and  Burnside,  by  a  rapid  flank  march  from 
Knoxville,  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the  garrison,  which  sur- 
rendered unconditionally  on  September  9th.  The  fruits 
of  this  well-executed  manoeuvre  were  two  thousand  pris- 
oners, fourteen  pieces  of  artillery,  and  a  quantity  of 
stores. 

Bnrnside  then  telegraphed  that  he  held  Cumberland 
Gap  and  all  East  Tennessee  above  Loudon,  and  also  the 
gaps  of  the  North  Carolina  mountains.  A  cavalry  force 
was  next  sent  towards  Athens  to  open  a  communication 
witfi  Rosecrans.  The  main  body  of  Burnside's  army 
was  now  ordered  by  the  general-in-chief  to  concentrate 
on  the  Tennessee  River,  from  Loudon  west,  so  as  to  con- 
nect with  Rosecrans's  army,  which  reached  Chattanooga 
on  the  9th  of  September. 

Rosecrans  now  began  pushing  forward  his  columns. 
The  roads  across  the  mountain  ridges  between  the  Ten- 
nessee and  Chattanooga  had  to  be  made  practicable,  and  it 
was  only  after  prodigious  labor  that  he  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  valley  bordering  the  southern  slope  of  the 
first  ridge  on  the  7th  of  September,  on  which  day  he  estab- 
lished his  head-quarters  at  Trenton,  eight  miles  south  of 
the  river.  Meanwhile,  the  left  wing  was  swung  round  to- 
wards Chattanooga,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river.  The 
perilous  position  of  the  enemy  at  Chattanooga  was  now 
evident.  Their  only  line  of  communication  with  the 
East  was  severed,  and  Rosecrans's  main  body  at  Trenton 
was  on  the  flank  of  Chattanooga.  Their  only  line  of  re- 
treat and  of  communication,  the  Western  and  Atlantic 
Railroad,  was  seriously  threatened.  At  the  same  time,  a 
body  powerful  enough  to  take  care  of  itself,  threatened 
Chattanooga  in  front.  Bragg,  seeing  himself  thus  in 
danger  of  being  completely  cut  off,  concluded  to  abandon 
Chattanooga  ;  and  the  left  wing,  which  had  in  the  mean 
time  moved  up  close  to  the  city,  passed  the  river  into 
Chattanooga.  Bragg  retreated  towards  Cleveland  and 
Dalton,  points  of  the  triangle  of  railroads  formed  by  the 
two  branches  of  the  Western  and  Atlantic,  which 
diverge  at  Dalton  and  strike  the  Virginia  and  East  Ten- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  845 

nessee  Railroad,  the  one  at  Cleveland,  the  other  at  Chat- 
tanooga Junction.  At  this  time  the  authorities  at  Wash- 
ington were  led  to  believe  that  Lee  was  receiving  re-en- 
forcements from  Bragg.  The  slight  resistance  made  by 
the  enemy  in  East  Tennessee,  and  his  abandonment  with- 
out defence  of  such  an  important  position  as  Chattanooga, 
rendered  plausible  the  reports  of  spies  and  deserters  from 
Lee's  army,  that  re-enforcements  were  arriving  there. 
Fearing,  therefore,  that  Rosecrans's  army  might  be  drawn 
too  far  into  the  mountains  of  Georgia,  where  it  could  not 
be  supplied,  and  might  be  attacked  before  re-enforce- 
ments could  reach  it  from  Burnside,  Halleck  sent  orders 
to  Rosecrans  to  hold  the  mountain  passes  west  of  Dalton, 
and  to  ascertain  whether  Bragg  was  re-enforcing  Lee. 
The  troops  of  Hurlbut  on  Rosecrans's  right  now  crossed 
the  Tennessee  River  towards  Whitesburg  to  protect  Nash- 
ville, and,  if  necessary,  troops  could  be  drawn  from  Sher- 
man, at  Vicksburg. 

The  occupation  of  Yicksburg  by  the  Union  forces  had 
placed  the  troops  of  Johnston  at  the  disposal  of  the  Con- 
federates, arid  part  of  them,  about  this  time,  united  with 
Bragg.  Suspecting  this,  Halleck,  on  September  13th, 
telegraphed  to  Sherman  as  follows : — 

"  It  is  quite  possible  that  Bragg  and  Johnston  will  move  through.  North- 
ern Alabama,  to  the  Tennessee  River,  to  turn  General  Rosecrans's  right 
and  cut  off  his  communications.  All  of  General  Grant's  available  forces 
should  be  sent  to  Memphis,  thence  to  Corinth  and  Tuscumbia,  to  co-operate 
with  Rosecrans,  should  the  rebels  attempt  that  movement" 

• 

By  the  occupation  of  Cumberland  Gap  and  Chatta- 
nooga, the  Federal  troops  now  not  only  covered  the 
entire  States  of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  but  secured  a 
base  of  inland  operations  against  Alabama,  Georgia,  and 
South  Carolina.  Two-thirds  of  the  nitre-beds,  and  a  large 
proportion  of  the  coal  which  supplied  the  rebel  founderies, 
lay  in  East  Tennessee,  which,  moreover,  abounded  in  the 
necessaries  of  life.  It  is  one  of  the  strongest  countries  in 
the  world,  so  full  of  lofty  mountains,  that  it  has  been 
called,  not  unaptly,  the  Switzerland  of  America.  Its  loss 
was  felt  to  be  a  severe  blow. 

On  the  14th  of  September,  the  enemy  had  concen- 
trated his  forces  near  Lafayette,  Georgia,  to  dispute  the 
further  advance  of  Rosecrans.  His  threatened  movement 


846  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

to  the  right  and  left  proved  to  be  merely  cavalry  raids  to 
cut  Roseerans's  lines  of  supplies,  and  menace  his  commu- 
nication with  Burnside.  His  main  army  had  been  re- 
enforced  by  troops  from  Johnston  in  Mississippi,  and  by 
the  prisoners  captured  at  Vicksburg  and  Port  Hudson, 
and  released  on  parole,  but  who  had  been  declared  by  the 
Confederate  authorities  to  be  exchanged. 

The  line  of  Rosecrans's  army  extended  at  this  time  from 
Gordon's  Mills  to  Alpine,  a  distance  of  some  forty  miles, 
occupying  the  passes  of  Lookout  Mountain.  By  Wed- 
nesday, the  16th  of  September,  the  army  had  been  con- 
centrated on  West  Chickamauga  Creek,  about  ten  or 
twelve  miles  northwest  of  Lafayette,  Georgia,  head-quar- 
ters being  established  at  a  place  named  Crawfish  Spring. 
An  attempt  of  our  advance  to  debouch  through  the  passes 
of  Pigeon  Mountain,  to  continue  the  march  southward, 
showed  that  the  enemy  held  a  strong  position  in  our  im- 
mediate front,  beyond  the  Creek.  Rosecrans  held  the 
rising  ground  west  of  the  stream  (his  left  resting  on  Gor- 
don's Mills),  while  the  enemy  held  a  similar  position  east 
of  it.  The  intervening  stream  would  of  course  serve  the 
enemy  to  mask  their  movements,  and  it  became  necessary 
for  Rosecrans  to  watch  with  extreme  wariness  what  their 
designs  might  be.  Reconnoissances  on  the  17th  and  18th 
showed  that  Bragg  was  moving  up  parallel  with  the 
creek,  massing  his  troops  in  front  of  Rosecrans's  left  cen- 
tre and  left,  with  the  manifest  purpose  of  executing  a 
turning  movement  that  would  place  him  between  the 
Union  army  a*nd  Chattanooga.  To  meet  this,  the  Union 

feneral  effected  a  corresponding  movement  of  his  force 
y  the  left  flank,  wheeling  the  whole  army  back  down 
the  creek.  During  the  night  of  the  18th,  Thomas's  Corps 
(Fourteenth),  forming  the  centre  of  the  army,  together 
with  Johnson's  Division  of  McCook's  Corps,  had  moved 
to  the  left,  past  Crittenden's,  thus  becoming  the  left  wing 
of  the  army,  and  making  Crittenden's  Corps  (the  Twenty- 
first)  the  centre.  The  two  other  divisions  of  McCook's 
Corps  (Davis's  and  Sheridan's)  were  to  move  into  the 
position  abandoned  by  Thomas's  Corps,  but  had  not  time 
to  assume  it  fully  before  the  commencement  of  the  action 
of  Saturday  morning,  the  19th. 

On  the  morning  of  Saturday,  the  Union  line  of  battle, 
as  formed,  ran  along  the  Rossville  and  Lafayette  roads 


STORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  847 

due  north  and  south,  the  right  resting  at  Gordon's  Mills, 
the  left  at  Kelly's  House.  On  the  extreme  left  was  Bran- 
nan,  next  Baird  and  Reynolds,  with  Johnson  in  reserve 
in  the  centre,  Palmer  on  the  right  of  Reynolds,  Van 
Cleve  on  his,  and  "Wood  at  Gordon's  Mills.  The  line, 
completed  by  Davis' s  and  Sheridan's  Divisions,  faced  a 
little  south  of  east.  Negley  formed  a  defensive  crotchet 
at  Owen's  Ford,  higher  up  the  valley.  Detached  from- 
this  line,  covering  the  Ringgold  approach  to  Rossville, 
the  reserve  corps,  under  General  Gordon  Granger,  was 
stationed,  but,  not  operating  with  the  main  column,  can 
hardly  be  said  to  have  formed  part  of  the  line  of  battle. 

On  the  18th,  the  Confederate  army,  which  had  been 
marching  through  stifling  beds  of  dust  and  crumbling 
rock  since  the  14th,  crossed  West  Chickamauga  Creek, 
and  upon  the  morning  of  the  19th  the  only  accession  of 
strength  which  Bragg  had  received  from  Virginia  con- 
sisted of  three  brigades  under  General  Hood.  The  troops 
of  Longstreet  had  not  then  arrived. 

At  10  A.  M.,  IjJrannan.  on  the  extreme  left,  attacked  the 
enemy  with  the  view  of  driving  him  over  the  creek.  The 
battle,  although  it  lasted  until  nightfall,  was  little  more 
than  a  struggle  for  position,  maintained  by  the  Confed- 
erates with  a  view  to  holding  the  ground  where  they 
stood,  and  by  the  Federals  with  a  view  of  driving  the 
enemy  across  the  stream.  It  resulted  in  a  drawn  battle, 
both  armies  at  the  close  of  the  day  occupying  the  same 
ground  they  held  in  the  morning.  The  strength  of  the 
encounter  fell  upon  the  divisions  of  Van  Cleve  and  Davis, 
of  Crittenderi's  Corps,  on  the  Federal  side ;  and  upon  the 
Confederate  side,  on  the  troops  of  Cleburne,  an  Irishman 
by  bir.th,  and  once  a  private  in  the  English  army,  who 
had  risen  to  the  rank  of  major-general  in  the  rebel  army. 

During  the  night  of  Saturday,  General  Rosecrans  made 
some  changes  in  the  disposition  of  his  forces,  by  which 
the  line  was  so  far  withdrawn  that  it  rested  along  a  cross- 
road running  northeast  and  southwest,  and  connecting 
the  Rossville  with  the  Lafayette  road.  By  this  change 
the  line  was  contracted  by  a  mile,  and  the  right  wing 
caused  to  rest  on  a  strong  position  at  Mission  Ridge.  As 
before,  Thomas  held  the  left,  Crittenden  the  centre, 
McCook  the  right.  Upon  the  right  of  General  Thomas's 
line,  as  held  by  Reynolds  and  Brannan,  was  a  slight  rise 


848  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

in  the  plain,  and  from  the  top  of  this  the  whole  field 
could  be  commanded.  It  was  the  key  to  the  position. 
During  the  night  Thomas's  troops  had  built  a  rude  breast- 
work of  logs  and  rails  for  their  protection.  General  Lytle 
held  Gordon's  Mills. 

At  11  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  19th,  Longstreet* 
reached  the  head-quarters  of  Bragg,  and  was  immediately 
put  in  command  of  the  left  wing  of  the  Confederate 
army.  Of  his  own  corps,  as  it  stood  in  Virginia,  he  had 
Benning's,  Lane's,  and  Robertson's  Brigades  of  Hood's 
Division,  and  Kershaw's  and  Humphrey's,  of  McLaws's 
Division.  There  were  added,  however,  to  his  command 
the  corps  of  General  Buckner,  including  the  divisions  of 
Generals  Preston  and  Stewart,  and  also,  outside  of  Buck- 
ner's  command,  the  divisions  of  Generals  Hindman,  Wal- 
ker, and  Bushrod  Johnston.  The  right  was  composed  of 
Hill's  Corps,  of  two  divisions,  under  Cleburne  and  Breck- 
inridge ;  with  the  division  of  Cheatham,  of  Folk's  Corps, 
and  the  division  of  W.  H.  T.  "Walker.  The  disposition 
of  the  whole  rebel  army  from  right  to  left  was  Breckin- 
ridge,  Cleburne,  Cheatham,  Stewart,  Hood,  Hindman, 
Preston. 

Bragg's  plan  of  battle  (the  same  which  he  invariably 

*  James  Longstreet  was  born  in  South  Carolina  about  1820,  and  gradu- 
ated at  West  Point  in  1842.  He  was  brevetted  captain  and  major  for  gal- 
lant conduct  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  at  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  held 
the  position  of  paymaster,  with  the  rank  of  major.  Having  joined  the  Se- 
cession movement,  he  commanded  a  brigade  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run, 
after  which  he  was  commissioned  a  majcr-general  in  the  rebel  army.  Early 
in  the  spring  of  1862  he  was  ordered  to  the  Peninsula,  and  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  siege  of  Yorktown  to  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hills,  he  was 
in  almost  every  action.  He  commanded  the  rebel  troops  at  the  battle  of 
WilHamsburg,  May  5th,  1862.  In  the  second  Bull  Run  cnmpaign,  and  in 
the  invasion  of  Maryland,  terminating  with  the  battle  of  Antietarri,  ho  com- 
manded a  corps,  and  rendered  valuable  service.  He  commanded  the  rebel 
left,  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-general,  at  Fredericksburg ;  and  in  Febru- 
ary, 1863,  was  sent  to  besiege  Suffolk,  Va.,  from  which  place  he  was  re- 
called, after  a  fruitless  campaign,  to  re-enforce  Lee,  in  May.  He  commanded 
one  of  the  three  corps  of  Lee's  army  which  invaded  Maryland  and  Pennsyl- 
vania in  that  summer,  and  had  an  important  part  in  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg. In  September,  he  was  sent  to  re-enforce  Bragg,  and  greatly  con- 
tributed to  the  rebel  victory  at  Chickamauga,  after  which  he  was  detached 
to  capture  Knoxville  and  drive  Burnside  out  of  East  Tennessee,  in  which 
he  utterly  failed.  In  April,  1864,  he  united  his  troops  once  more  with  the 
army  of  Lee,  and  was  so  severely  wounded  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness, 
May  6th,  aa  to  be  incapacitated  for  service  until  the  following  October. 
He  held  command  of  his  corps  during  the  winter  of  1864-'65,  and  was 
included  in  the  capitulation  of  Lee  to  Grant. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  849 

pursued,  was  to  attack  along  his  whole  line,  commencing 
on  his  right,  and  allowing  the  attack  to  be  taken  up  suc- 
cessively by  division  after  division,  until  it  reached  the 
extreme  left.  Accordingly,  Polk  was  ordered  to  com- 
mence the  attack  at  daybreak  of  the  20th,  but,  owing  to 
some  unforeseen  difficulties,  this  did  not  take  place  until 
nine  o'clock,  when  Breckinridge  and  Cleburne  opened 
upon  Thomas's*  command.  The  battle  soon  raged  furi- 
ously along  this  part  of  the  field,  but  the  veteran  troops 
of  Thomas  held  their  ground  against  the  utmost  efforts 
of  the  enemy.  Again  and  again  the  rebels,  advancing 
en  echelon  by  brigade  from  the  cover  of  the  woods  into  the 
open  field,  charged  with  impetuous  fury  and  terrific  yells 
towards  the  breastwork  of  logs  and  rails ;  but  each  time 
the  fiery  blasts  from  our  batteries  and  battalions  swept 
over  and  around  them,  and  their  ranks  were  crumbled 
and  swept  away.  In  the  mean  time,  Longstreet  had,  at 
eleven  o'clock,  commenced  his  attack  on  the  Union  left 
wing.  Steadily  advancing,  he  swept  away  the  head  of 
every  formation  ;  though  often  checked,  and  for  the  mo- 
ment repulsed,  again  and  again  he  rode  at  the  head  of  his 
troops,  and,  hat  in  hand,  rising  in  his  stirrups,  with  voice 
and  gesture  animated  his  men.  The  Western  troops 
were  brave  and  hardy  men,  the  material  of  as  fine  an 

*  George  Henry  Thomas  was  born  in  Southampton  County,  Ya.,  in  1816, 
and  graduated  at  West  Point  in  1840.  He  entered  the  service  as  brevet 
second  lieutenant  of  the  Third  Artillery ;  served  in  the  Florida  war,  and 
was  brevetted  first  lieutenant,  and  for  gallant  conduct  in  the  Mexican  war 
was  brevetted  captain  and  major.  In  1851-'54>  he  was  instructor  of  artil- 
lery and  cavalry  at  West  Point,  and  he  subsequently  saw  much  active  ser- 
vice in  the  West.  In  May,  1861,  he  was  appointed  colonel  of  the  Fifth 
Cavalry,  and  in  August  a  brigadier-general  of  volunteers.  He  defeated 
Zollicoffer  at  the  battle  of  Mill  Spring,  or  Somerset,  January  19th,.  1862; 
was  appointed  major-general  of  volunteers  in  the  succeeding  April,  and 
during  the  summer  commanded  a  wing  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  He- 
commanded  the  centre  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  at  the  battle  of 
Stone  Eiver,  participated  in  the  advance  upon  and  occupation  of  Chatta- 
nooga, and  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  saved  the  Union  army  from  de- 
struction. In  October,  he  was  appointed  to  the  Department  of  the  Cum- 
berland, and  assumed  command  of  the  army  at  Chattanooga,  and  he  had 
an  important  share  in  the  victory  of  November  25th  at  that  place-  He- 
participated  in  Sherman's  campaign,  ending  in  the  capture  of  Atlanta,  in 
September,  1864,  and  was  then  ordere<J  to  Nashville,  where,  on  December 
15th  and  16th,  he  practically  annihilated  the  army  of  Hood,  in  a  series  of 
battles,  which  may  be  said  to  have  ended  the  war  in  the  West.  He  is  now 
a  brigadier-general  in  the  regular  army,  and  commands  the  military  division 
of  the  Tennessee. 

52 


850  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

army  as  ever  shouldered  musket,  but  could  not  check  the 
attack  of  Longstreet,  who  was  pressing  right  on  for  the 
possession  of  Chattanooga.  To  meet  this  danger,  Eose- 
crans,  having  disposed  of  Polk  on  his  left,  commenced  to 
move  troops  rapidly  from  left  to  right.  Wood  was 
ordered  to  go  instantly  to  the  relief  of  Reynolds,  who 
was  hard  pressed  by  Longstreet,  while  Davis  and  Sheri- 
dan were  to  shift  over  to  the  left  and  thus  close  up  the 
line.  Wood,  though  fiercely  assaulted,  succeeded  in 
reaching  his  destination.  The  Confederate  General  Wal- 
ker, observing  this  march  from  left  to  right,  sent  intelli- 
gence of  it  to  Longstreet,  who  immediately  ordered  for- 
ward Buckner,  with  twelve  pieces.  This  force  fell 
heavily  upon  Davis,  who  was  coming  up  to  fill  Wood's 
place,  and  who,  being  thus  attacked  with  great  sudden- 
ness and  fury,  was  pushed  to  the  right  in  utter  disorder, 
losing  many  men. 

Meanwhile,  Van  Cleve  and  Palmer's  Divisions,  exposed 
by  the  witndrawal  of  Davis,  were  attacked  with  equal 
vehemence  on  the  right,  and  forced  back  in  great  confu- 
sion. The  rout  of  the  right  and  centre  was  now  com- 
plete, and,  after  that  fatal  break,  the  line  of  battle  was 
not  again  re-formed  during  the  day.  The  army  was  in 
fact  cut  in  two — McCook,  with  Davis,  Sheridan,  and 
Wilder,  being  thrown  off  to  the  right,  and  Crittenden, 
except  one  brigade  of  Wood's,  being  broken  in  pieces. 
But  before  the  interference  of  Buckner,  Thomas  had 
crossed  from  left  to  right,  and  in  the  afternoon  deter- 
minedly faced  Longstreet,  taking  his  stand  upon  the  bare 
and  bluff  termination  of  Missionary  Ridge,  upon  which  he 
had  thrown  up  breastworks,  and  which,  as  being  the  last 
stronghold  south  of  the  Chattanooga  works,  he  held 
with  indomitable  courage  against  the  assaults  of  the 
enemy. 

His  line  was  so  formed  that  the  left,  resting  upon  the 
Lafayette  road,  and  the  right  at  the  Gap,  represented  an 
arc  of  a  circle,  and  a  southeast  hill  about  its  centre 
formed  the  key  to  the  position.  Here  were  collected  the 
troops  who  had  so  successfully  repulsed  the  rebel  right  in 
the  forenoon,  together  with  fragments  of  Sheridan's  and 
other  divisions,  which  had  been  partially  rallied.  Against 
this  position  Longstreet  now  directed  his  battalions. 
That  general's  onward  career  had  not  been  checked 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GEE  AT   REBELLION.  851 

during  the  day.  Commencing  with  his  line  running 
northeast  and  southwest,  he  had  gradually  swung  round 
until  it  ran  due  east  and  west,  and  comprised  within  its 
control  the  main  road  to  Chattanooga  ;  and  at  nightfall, 
having  described  all  but  a  circle,  he  found  his  lines  again 
stretching  almost  in  the  same  direction  as  in  the  morning, 
but  with  their  backs  turned  at  night  towards  the  point 
whither  their  faces  looked  at  daybreak.  It  was  shortly 
after  the  troops  had  gained  the  Chattanooga  road  that 
General  Hood,  riding  in  front  with  his  men,  was  struck 
by  a  Minie  bullet,  which  shattered  his  thigh-bone  four 
inches  below  the  hip.  Longstreet  ordered  Kershaw,  of 
McLaws's  Division,  to  attack  Missionary  Ridge  in  front. 
He  came  forward  with  great  vehemence,  but  sustained  a 
terrible  repulse.  About  half-past  three  p.  M.  the  enemy 
discovered  a  gap  in  the  Union  right  flank,  and  began  pour- 
ing his  columns  through  the  opening.  At  this  crisis 
Granger  reached  the  field  with  his  reserves,  and  by  great 
exertions  pushed  the  rebels  back  from  the  gap.  The 
fight  now  raged  around  the  hill  with  redoubled  fury. 
General  Thomas  formed  his  troops  in  two  lines,  and  as 
each  marched  up  to  the  crest  and  fired  a  deadly  volley 
at  the  advancing  foe,  it  fell  back  a  little  way,  the  men 
lay  down  upon  the  ground  to  load,  and  the  second  line  ad- 
vanced to  take  their  place,  and  so  on  in  succession.  An 
attack  by  Hindman  met  the  same  fate  as  that  of  Kershaw. 
This  was  'followed  by  the  division  of  Preston,  a  portion 
of  which  deployed  in  line  and  ascended  the  hill  in 
face  of  a  fire  which  caused  them  to  reel  and  stagger. 
After  a  moment's  hesitation  they  again  came  forward 
with  fixed  bayonets,  but  were  again  driven  back  with 
loss.  Finding  every  effort  to  carry  the  Union  position 
of  no  avail,  the  rebels  fell  back  at  dusk  beyond  the  range 
of  our  artillery,  and  Thomas  was  left  master  of  the  well- 
fought  field.  As  most  of  the  troops  of  McCook  and  Crit- 
tenden  had  by  this  time  retired  within  the  defences  of 
Chattanooga,  Thomas  fell  back  during  the  night  to  Koss- 
ville,  where,  during  the  21st,  he  offered  battle  to  the 
enemy,  who,  however,  declined  to  renew  the  contest. 
Accordingly,  on  the  night  of  the  21st,  he  withdrew  his 
troops  into  Chattanooga. 
The  Union  loss  in  this  battle  was : — 


852 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GKEAT   REBELLION. 


THOMAS. — FOURTEENTH    COEPS. 


Officers. 

Killed 36 

Wounded. 206 

Missing 127 

369 


Men. 

635 

3,277 

2,000 

6,932 


M'COOK.— SECOND 


Officers. 

Killed 40 

"Wounded. 168 

Missing 77 

285 


Men. 

363 

2,367 

1,503 

4,233 


Total. 

671 

3,503 

2,127 

6,301 


Total. 

403 

2,535 

1,580 

4,518 


CRITTENDEN. — TWENTY-FIBST  COUPS. 


Officers. 

Killed 39 

Wounded 131 

Missing 22 

192 


Men. 

296 

2,157 

655 

3,108 


GRANGER. — RESERVE  CORPS. 


Officers. 

Killed. 16 

Wounded 59 

Missing 54 

129 


Officers. 

Killed 131 

Wounded. 564 

Missing 280 

975 


TOTAL. 


Men. 
219 
877 
507 

1,603 


Men. 
1,513 
8,698 
4,665 

14,866 


3,290 


Total 
235 
936 
561 

1,732 


Total 
1,644 
9,262 
4,945 

15,851 


They  also  lost  thirty-six  gnus,  twenty  caissons,  and 
several  thousand  small-arms  and  infantry  accoutrements, 
and  captured  over  two  thousand  prisoners.  The  rebels 
suffered  even  more  severely  than  their  opponents,  and 
their  total  loss,  as  stated  by  themselves,  exceeded  eighteen 
thousand. 

It  is  now  very  well  known  that  the  rebels  largely  out- 
numbered the  Union  army  in  this  battle.  The  following 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  853 

extract  from  a  letter  by  General  Rosecrans  shows  how 
great  was  their  advantage  in  numbers : — 

"  "We  have  five  independent  ways  of  arriving  at  the  fact  that  we  fought 
against  terrible  odds  there : — 

"  1st.  This  was  the  opinion  of  the  corps  and  division  commanders,  none 
of  whom  were  bad  judges. 

"  2d.  The  enemy  reports  a  loss  of  eighteen  thousand  seven  hundred 
(18,700)  killed  and  wounded;  and  admits  his  loss  to  have  been  twenty  per 
cent,  of  his  entire  command — a  very  large  loss — which  gave  him  ninety- 
three  thousand  five  hundred  at  Chickamauga. 

"  3d.  Bragg  had  thirty-two  thousand  troops  when  driven  from  his  in- 
trenched camp  at  Shelbyville  and  Tallahooma,  across  the  mountains  and 
the  Tennessee.  Buckner  joined  him  with  about  ten  thousand  troops  from 
East  Tennessee,  Johnston  with  about  twenty-five  thousand,  and  Longstreet 
with  about  twenty-five  thousand  more,  giving  again  ninety-two  thousand 
as  his  whole  force. 

"  4th.  General  Grant  and  several  of  his  subordinates  estimate  the  force 
fought  at  Mission  Ridge  at  from  forty-five  thousand  to  fifty  thousand.  Add 
twenty -five  thousand  for  Longstreet's  army,  which  had  previously  left,  and 
was  then  in  front  of  Knoxville,  and  eighteen  thousand  for  those  put  hors  de 
combat  at  Chickamauga,  and  it  gives  eighty-eight  thousand. 

"  5th.  A  Union  merchant  of  Chattanooga,  who  was  at  Marietta  when 
the  foe  were  advancing  on  us,  tried  to  send  me  word,  and  subsequently 
saw  and  told  me  that  the  enemy  had  re-enforced  Bragg  with  thirty  thousand 
under  Longstreet,  and  twenty-five  thousand  under  Joe  Johnston,  in  addi- 
tion to  which  Governor  Brown  had  fifteen  thousand  Georgia  militia ;  and  so 
confident  were  they  of  overwhelming  us,  that  the  Kentucky  and  Tennessee 
rebel  refugees  at  Marietta  had  hired  conveyances  and  loaded  their  house- 
hold goods,  expecting  to  follow  their  victorious  hosts  back  into  Tennessee 
and  Kentucky. 

"  I  could  add  much  more  corroborative  evidence  to  show  that  the  brave 
and  devoted  Army  of  the  Cumberland  sustained  and  successfully  resisted 
the  utmost  power  of  a  veteran  rebel  army,  filled  with  the  spirit  of  emula- 
tion and  hope,  and  more  than  one-half  larger  than  itself;  inflicted  on  it 
much  more  damage  than  we  received,  and  held  the  coveted  objective  point, 
Chattanooga. 

"  What  we  attempted  we  accomplished.  We  took  Chattanooga  from  a 
force  nearly  as  large  as  our  own,  and  held  it  after  our  enemy  had  been  re- 
enforced  by  as  many  men  as  we  had  in  our  whole  command. 

"  W.  S.  ROSECRANS,  Major- General." 

After  Rosecrans's  retreat  to  Chattanooga,  the  passes 
of  Lookout  Mountain,  which  covered  his  communication 
with  Bridgeport,  and  were  necessary  to  secure  the  trans- 
portation of  supplies  to  the  Union  army,  were  occupied 
by  the  enemy,  who  also  sent  a  force  across  the  Tennessee 
River,  and  captured  McMinnville,  thus  almost  completely 
isolating  Rosecrans  from  his  base. 

This  battle  of  Chickamauga,  as  it  is  called,  was  one  of 
the  most  bloody  of  the  war,  and,  without  accomplishing 
any  important  results  in  relation  to  the  great  contest,  was 


854:  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION. 

fatal  to  the  commanders  on  both  sides.  The  Federal 
commander  lost  a  high  reputation  and  the  confidence  of 
his  Government,  by  the  faulty  dispositions  which  led  to  a 
defeat  more  signal  than  any  other  of  the  war,  except  the 
first  Bull  Eun.  The  rebel  commander  lost  an  influence 
which  had  been  waning  since  Murfreesboro,  through  his 
inexplicable  inactivity  on  the  Monday  following  his 
victory,  whereby  all  the  fruits  of  the  contest  were  thrown 
away.  On  both  sides,  the  public  dissatisfaction  caused 
by  their  conduct  produced,  ultimately,  a  change  of  com- 
manders. It  may  be  well,  therefore,  to  look  back  at  the 
career  of  each,  and  the  circumstances  of  the  campaign 
to  which  Chickamauga  formed  the  termination. 

The  origin  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  was  a  small 
body  of  Kentucky  volunteers,  assembled  under  Colonel, 
afterwards  General,  Rousseau,  near  Louisville,  in  the 
spring  of  1861.  In  the  succeeding  summer,  the  military 
Department  of  the  Ohio  was  organized,  and  given  to 
General  Robert  Anderson,  of  Fort  Sumter  fame.  On  the 
llth  of  August,  it  was  extended  over  the  whole  State  of 
Kentucky  and  the  State  of  Tennessee,  and  was  designated 
the  Department  of  the  Cumberland.  In  October,  Gen- 
eral W.  T.  Sherman  took  command,  Anderson's  health 
failing.  In  November,  Sherman  was  relieved  by  Buell, 
and  the  limits  and  title  of  the  Department  were  again 
changed  to  the  Department  of  the  Ohio.  In  November, 
1862,  there  was  a  new  arrangement  of  departments  and 
of  commanders.  Tennessee,  east  of  Tennessee  River,  and 
Northern  Alabama  and  Georgia,  were  made  a  depart- 
ment, under  the  revived  name  of  the  Department  of  the 
Cumberland,  into  which  Kentucky  was  again  transferred. 
The  department  remained  the  same  under  Rosecrans. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  when  Beauregard  retreated 
silently  and  successfully,  some  time  after  the  battle  of 
Shiloh,  from  Corinth,  leaving  Halleck,  who  was  then 
facing  him,  as  ignorant  of  his  movements  as  was  the  rest 
of  the  North,  he  fell  back  with  what  remained  of  his 
army  to  Tupelo,  in  Mississippi.  Shortly  afterwards 
Beauregard's  health  gave  way,  and  Bragg  took  his  place. 
Bragg  found  the  army  which  had  at  one  time  been  the 
finest  force,  numerically,  which  the  Confederates  ever 
had  in  the  field,  reduced  to  forty  thousand  men,  in  tho 
worst  possible  condition  of  discipline,  decimated  by  de- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  855 

sertion  consequent  upon  Beauregard's  long  inaction  at 
Corinth,  and  swept  by  disease.  It  was  an  occasion  for 
the  display  of  many  of  the  finest  qualities  of  a  general, 
as  a  promoter  of  discipline,  and  an  organizer  of  imperfect 
or  broken-down  army  departments;  and  everybody  con- 
fessed that  Bragg  was  equal  to  the  occasion.  He 
exhibited  much  of  that  firmness  and  indifference  to 
popularity  wliich  are  so  rare  among  republican  generals, 
took  upon  his  own  shoulders  the  odium  of  causing  some 
twelve  or  fifteen  men  to  be  shot  without  court-martial ; 
and  finally,  by  the  total  expulsion  of  whiskey  from  his 
camp,  and  by  divers  other  salutary  measures,  restored 
his  army  to  a  higher  degree  of  discipline  and  efficiency 
than  it  had  ever  before  attained,  with  this  reorganized 
army  he  operated  with  great  success  against  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland,  under  Buell,  in  the  autumn  of  1862, 
up  to  which  time  Bragg  had  not  ceased  to  rise  in  repu- 
tation. 

It  was  then,  however,  that  General  Rosecrans,  having 
defeated  Van  Dorn  and  Prince  at  Corinth,  was  transferred 
to  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  The 
condition  of  that  army  was  not  unlike  that  of  Beaure- 
gard's when  Bragg  succeeded  to  it.  Its  ranks  had  been 
thinned  by  disease,  battle,  and  the  nameless  vicissitudes 
of  war.  In  every  respect  it  was  largely  overestimated. 
Nearly  seven  thousand  of  its  number  had  deserted.  More 
than  twenty-six  thousand  were  absent  by  authority.  The 
consolidated  semi-rnonthly  reports  for  November  15th, 
two  weeks  subsequent  to  the  change  of  commanders, 
show  that  a  total  of  thirty-two  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  sixty-six  officers  and  men — at  least  one-third  of  the 
the  whole  army — were  absent  from  their  command !  The 
army  was  composed  in  about  equal  proportions  of  veteran 
soldiers  and  raw  recruits.  The  former  were  poorly  clad 
and  equipped,  the  latter  were  inexperienced  in  drill  and 
discipline,  with  officers  often  ignorant,  and  sometimes  in- 
competent. To  sum  up,  briefly,  the  spirit  of  the  army 
was  broken,  its  confidence  destroyed,  its  discipline 
relaxed,  its  courage  weakened,  and  its  hopes  shattered. 
Such  were  the  peculiar  circumstances  under  which  Kose- 
crans  assumed  command.  The  condition  to  which  he 
soon  brought  it  was  well  illustrated  by  its  stubborn 
courage  in  the  hard-fought  battle  of  Stone  River. 


856 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 


The  two  generals  had  been  successful  in  reorganizing 
their  armies,  but  lost  their  prestige  when  those  armies 
were  brought  into  contact.  Rosecrans  has  been  blamed 
for  fighting  this  battle,  and  a  review  of  the  campaign 
will  show  that,  even  if  he  could  not  have  avoided  an  en- 
gagement, he  might  have  fought  it  under  more  favorable 
circumstances. 

"When  it  was  determined  to  cross  the  Tennessee  River 
west  of  Chattanooga,  it  became  necessary  for  the  army, 
after  effecting  the  passage  of  the  river,  to  cross  the  Sand 
or  Raccoon  Mountain,  which  is  the  first  range  south  of 
the  Tennessee  River.  Lookout  Mountain  was  then  the 
great  barrier  between  them  and  Chattanooga.  This 
mountain  is  some  sixteen  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  surrounding  country,  is  fifty  miles  in  length,  and  ends 
abruptly  on  the  Tennessee,  three  or  four  miles  west  of 
Chattanooga.  For  forty  miles  it  has  but  three  passes 
practicable  for  the  passage  of  an  army,  and  those  very 
difficult;  one  at  the  point  of  the  mountain,  near  Chat- 
tanooga, one  at  Stevens's  Gap,  twenty-five  miles  south, 
and  one  at  Winston's,  forty  miles  from  Chattanooga. 

The  plan  of  the  campaign  was  to  hold  the  rebels  in 
check  at  Chattanooga,  by  a  small  force,  sent  for  the  pur- 
pose, up  the  north  side  of  the  river,  opposite  the  place 
where  the  main  body  of  the  army,  crossing  Lookout 
Mountain  by  Stevens's  and  Winston's  Gaps,  should  get 
in  their  rear,  destroy  their  lines  of  communication,  and 
either  besiege  them  in  Chattanooga,  or  force  a  battle  on 
advantageous  ground.  To  prevent  the  rebels  from  send- 
ing a  force  from  Chattanooga,  by  the  pass  around  the 
point  of  Lookout  Mountain,  into  Lookout  Valley,  to  in- 
terrupt or  destroy  our  lines  of  communication  with  our 
depots  at  Bridgeport  and  Stevenson,  Crittenden's  Corps 
was  sent  down  Lookout  Valley,  to  near  the  foot  of  Look- 
out Mountain,  which  latter  was  held  by  the  enemy  with 
infantry  and  artillery.  The  corps  of  Thomas  and  McCook 
were  moved  rapidly  up  Lookout  Valley,  and  across  Look- 
out Mountain,  the  former  by  Cooper's  and  Stevens's,  the 
latter  by  Winston's  Gap.  As  soon  as  this  movement  was 
known  to  Bragg,  who,  as  yet,  had  not  received  the  bulk 
of  his  expected  re-enforcements,  it  became  evident  to  him 
that  if  he  remained  in  Chattanooga  the  army  of  Rosecrans 
would  get  between  him  and  his  expected  re-enforcements, 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  857 

and  whip  them  in  detail,  besides  taking  possession  of  his 
lines  of  communication,  without  which  he  could  not  sub- 
sist his  army  a  week. 

The  evacuation  of  Chattanooga  by  the  rebels  was  there- 
fore a  necessity.  Bragg  fell  back  rapidly,  and  evidently 
with  the  intention  of  retreating  on  Rome.  Crittenden, 
discovering  the  evacuation,  moved  his  corps  into  Chatta- 
nooga by  the  pass  around  the  point  of  Lookout,  and  moved 
out  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy.  Facts  soon  began  to  be  dis- 
covered which  led  to  the  belief  that  the  enemy  had  not 
retreated  far.  A  cavalry  reconnoissance  on  the  extreme 
right,  to  Alpine,  rendered  it  certain  that  they  had  not 
retreated  on  Rome,  but  were  concentrating  at  Lafayette, 
and  receiving  re-enforcements,  and  that  it  was  their  inten- 
tion to  endeavor  to  retake  Chattanooga. 

Crittenden's  Corps,  at  this  juncture,  holding  a  position 
on  the  Chickamauga,  near  Gordon's  Mill,  confronted  the 
entire  rebel  army.  Thomas's  Corps  was  at  the  eastern 
foot  of  Lookout  Mountain,  and  McCook  was  at  Winston's 
Gap,  the  distance  from  Crittenden's  position,  at  Gordon's 
Mill,  to  McCook's  right,  near  Winston's,  being  upward 
of  forty  miles,  while,  from  the  best  information  gathered 
from  all  sources,  it  appeared  that  the  enemy  were  rapidly 
concentrating,  and  might  attack  Crittenden  before  the 
remainder  of  the  army  could  be  brought  within  support- 
ing distance.  It  was  therefore  necessary,  in  order  to 
cover  Chattanooga,  for  Rosecrans  to  concentrate  his  army 
rapidly,  arid  in  the  face  of  the  enemy.  It  was  while  this 
was  being  done  that  the  rebels  attempted  to  turn  his  left 
flank,  and  obtain  possession  of  the  roads  in  his  rear  lead- 
ing to  Chattanooga :  in  the  attempt  to  prevent  this  the 
battle  was  brought  on.  It  was  absolutely  necessary, 
under  the  circumstances,  to  secure  the  possession  of  Chat- 
tanooga, which,  it  is  very  evident,  Bragg  never  intended 
to  permit  us  to  hold.  It  was  a  common  matter  of  won- 
der, when  the  Union  army  first  occupied  the  place,  why 
Bragg  left  so  many  public  buildings  standing,  all  his  Hos- 
pital buildings  and  depots,  and  two  steamboats  at  the 
landing,  all  of  which  he  would  naturally  have  destroyed 
in  evacuating  the  place  with  the  intention  of  leaving  it 
for  any  considerable  time  in  our  possession. 

Could  General  Rosecrans  have  concentrated  his  army 
at  Chattanooga,  avoiding  a  battle  meanwhile,  the  contest 


858  HI8TOKY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

would  undoubtedly  have  taken  place  there,  instead  of  on 
Chickamauga  Creek.  "Whether  the  results  of  such  a 
battle  would  have  been  more  advantageous  to  our  arms, 
or  not,  is  a  question  difficult  to  answer. 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  859 


CHAPTER   XLYII. 

Inaction  of  Bragg. — His  Position. — His  Indecision. — Rosecrans  Recruit- 
ing.— Storms. — Hooker  Arrives. — Grant  Ordered  up. — He  Supersedes 
Rosecrans. — Thomas  in  Command  of  Department. — Position  of  the  Ar- 
my. —  Movement  to  open  River. — Defeat  of  the  Enemy.  —  Sherman's 
March. — Combat. — Change  of  Route. — Burnside's  Position. — Longstreet 
Detached  from  Bragg. — Siege  of  Knoxville. — Burnside  Hard  Pressed. — 
Bragg  Weakened. — Grant  Attacks. — The  Movement  Successful. — Sher- 
man Relieves  Buruside. — Retreat  of  Longstreet. 

AFTER  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  the  opposing  armies 
remained  for  a  long  time  inactive.  The  enemy's  forces 
continued  before  Chattanooga,  where  Rosecrans  was,  re- 
ceiving re-enforcements.  Bragg  employed  means  to  cut 
off  supplies  coining  to  the  Federal  army  by  the  direct 
route,  while  his  main  army,  strongly  re-enforced  on  the 
20th  and  21st,  held  a  line  from  Bridgeport  to  Cleveland. 
Longstreet  occupied  the  extreme  left  on  the  Tennessee 
River,  from  Bridgeport  to  Trenton,  Johnston  the  centre 
at  Lafayette,  holding  Lookout  Mountain,  and  Bragg  the 
right  at  Dalton,  with  his  right  at  Cleveland.  His  cavalry, 
under  Wheeler,  foraged  in  Rosecrans's  rear,  and  captured 
the  train  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps.  Some  eight  hundred 
wagons  and  two  thousand  mules  were  captured  and  de- 
stroyed. Most  of  the  supplies  for  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland were  carried  over  the  mountains  by  pack-mules, 
on  account  of  the  difficult  transportation.  The  trains  were 
much  annoyed  by  rebel  sharpshooters  between  Bridgeport 
and  Chattanooga,  who  daily  picked  off  teamsters,  mules, 
and  horses,  and  so  closely  was  the  Union  army  pressed 
that  rations  began  to  fall  short  in  Chattanooga. 

The  long  inaction  of  Bragg  greatly  demoralized  his 
army.  Two  days  after  the  battle  it  was  agreed,  unani- 
mously, by  a  council  of  war,  that  the  Confederate  army 
should  strike  en  masse  in  the  direction  of  Knoxville.  But 
scarcely  had  the  division  generals  commenced  the  execu- 
tion of  this  resolve,  when  Bragg  announced  that  he  had 
changed  his  plan,  and  the  army  sat  down,  and  continued 


860  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

for  nearly  three  weeks  enveloping  the  town  of  Chattanooga 
and  the  treble  lines  which  surrounded  it. 

In  the  mean  time,  Rosecrans  was  reorganizing  his  troops, 
and  working  industriously  with  the  spade  to  strengthen 
the  defences,  besides  securing  his  lines  of  communication 
and  accumulating  supplies.  These  operations  were,  how- 
ever, greatly  retarded  by  the  storms  of  an.  unusually  wet 
autumn.  On  the  23d  of  September,  the  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth  Corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  were  detached 
under  Hooker  to  re-enforce  Rosecrans,  and  were  assigned 
for  the  protection  of  the  line  of  communication  between 
Bridgeport  and  Nashville. 

While  these  events  were  occurring,  such  of  the  forces  of 
Grant  at  Vicksburg  and  elsewhere  in  the  Southwest  as  were 
available,  were  put  in  motion  for  Tennessee,  and  Grant 
himself,  who  was  then  at  New  Orleans,  was  ordered  to  take 
command  of  the  army  in  Tennessee.  He  arrived  at  Louis- 
ville October  18th,  and  issued  General  Orders,  No.  1 : — 

"HEAD-QUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI,  ) 
"LOUISVILLE,  KENTUCKY,   October  18,  1863.         f 
"GENERAL  ORDERS,  NO.  1. 

"  In  compliance  with  General  Orders.  No.  337,  of  date  "Washington,  D.  C., 
October  16th,  1863,  the  undersigned  hereby  assumes  command  of  the 
'  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi,  embracing  the  Departments  of  the 
Ohio,  of  the  Cumberland,  and  of  the  Tennessee.' 

"  The  head-quarters  of  the  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi  will  be  in 
the  field,  where  all  reports  and  returns  required  by  army  regulations  and 
existing  orders  will  be  made. 

"  U.  S.  GRANT,  Major- General." 

On  the  19th,  Rosecrans  took  leave  of  the  army,  and 
Major-General  George  H.  Thomas  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  Department  of  the  Cumberland,  and  "W.  T. 
Sherman  of  that  of  the  Tennessee.  The  two  corps  of 
McCook  and  Crittenden,  the  Twentieth  and  Twenty-first, 
consolidated  into  one,  and  designated  the  Fourth,  were 
assigned  to  Gordon  Granger. 

At  this  time  Sherman  was  yet  on  the  route  from  Mem- 
phis, and  Hooker,  with  his  two  corps,  had  just  arrived  at 
Bridgeport,  opposite  the  points  held  by  Longstreet.  The 
army  occupying  Chattanooga  had  its  right  at  Chatta- 
nooga Creek,  near  the  base  of  Lookout  Mountain,  and 
the  left  at  Citico  Creek.  The  picket  lines  followed  these 
two  creeks  for  some  distance,  and  then  passed  across  the 
low  grounds  between,  which  lie  also  between  the  foot  of 


HISTOKY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  861 

Missionary  Ridge  and  the  high  grounds  about  the  town 
upon  which  the  defensive  works  were  constructed.  These 
works  were  connected  by  a  strong  line  of  rifle-pits.  Be- 
hind this  line  and  around  the  town  the  greater  portion  of 
the  army  was  bivouacked,  for  very  littfe  camp  equipage 
was  to  be  had.  This  was  the  only  point  held  by  a  Federal 
force  south  of  the  river,  while  the  north  side  was  occupied 
with  troops  stationed  to  guard  the  points  above.  The 
base  of  the  army  at  Chattanooga  was  at  Stevenson  and 
Bridgeport,  and  was  supplied  from  depots  at  Louisville 
and  Nashville  by  a  single  track  of  railroad.  The  south 
side  of  the  river,  however,  from  Lookout  Mountain  to 
Bridgeport,  was  in  possession  of  the  en,emy,  and  the  river 
road  on  the  north  side  was  rendered  impassable  by  their 
sharpshooters  stationed  on  the  opposite  bank.  It  was 
thus  necessary  to  bring  all  supplies  to  the  army  over  a 
distance  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles,  taking  the  road  from 
Bridgeport  up  the  Sequatchie  Valley,  over  the  mountains 
into  the  Anderson  road,  thence  to  Chattanooga.  The 
Tennessee  was  crossed  by  pontoon  bridges,  constructed 
from  such  materials  as  the  forest  and  the  town  could 
afford.  The  storms  rendered  the  roads  nearly  impassable, 
and  the  army  was  in  danger  of  starvation. 

As  it  was  very  desirable  to  open  the  river  and  restore 
the  transportation  of  supplies  by  that  channel,  General 
Thomas  devised  a  plan  having  this  object  in  view. 
Hooker,  who  held  the  right  at  Bridgeport,  was  ordered, 
on  October  27th,  to  cross  the  Tennessee  at  that  point,  and 
demonstrate  against  the  enemy's  left  flank,  in  Lookout 
Valley.  At  the  same  time  a  force  under  General  Hazen 
passed  the  river  at  Brown's  Ferry,  below  the  city,  where 
pontoons  had  been  skilfully  laid  by  General  W.  F.  Smith, 
and  began  ascending  Lookout  Mountain,  which  was  soon 
taken,  the  enemy  giving  way  with  very  slight  opposition. 
When  Hazen  passed  the  river  and  marched  up  the  point  of 
Lookout  Mountain,  the  retreat  of  the  enemy's  forces  in  that 
direction  was  cut  off,  and  they  could  only  retire  up  the  val- 
ley towards  Trenton,  Georgia,  some  twenty  miles,  thus 
making  a  long  detour  before  they  could  join  the  main  reb- 
el army.  This  force  consisted  of  two  brigades  of  infantry 
and  one  battery.  Hooker  crossed  the  river  at  Bridgeport 
and  moved  up,  uniting  with  the  force  at  Brown's  Ferry, 
This  opened  the  river,  the  road  to  Kelly's  Ferry,  and  the 


862  HISTORY   OF  THE   GKEAT  REBELLION. 

direct  road  to  Bridgeport,  as  well  as  the  river  road  on  the 
north  side  around  the  bend.  This  successful  movement  is 
thus  described  by  a  spectator  in  the  camp  of  the  enemy  : — 

"  The  enemy  were  several  miles  distant,  and  the  smoke  of  their  bivouac 
fires,  resting  above  the  tree-tops,  indicated  a  halt.  Subsequently  the 
column  resumed  its  motion,  and  during  the  afternoon  the  long,  dark, 
thread-like  line  of  troops  became  visible,  slowly  wending  their  way  in  the 
direction,  of  Chattanooga.  On  Lookout  Peak,  gazing  down  upon  the  singu- 
lar spectacle — a  coup  d'(eil  which  embraced  in  curious  contrast  the  beauties 
of  nature  and  the  achievements  of  art,  the  blessings  of  peace  and  the  hor- 
rors of  war — were  Generals  Bragg,  Longstreet,  and  others,  to  whom  this 
bold  venture  of  the  enemy  opened  at  once  new  vistas  of  thought  and  action. 
Infantry,  artillery,  and  cavalry,  all  glided  silently  by,  like  a  procession  of 
fantocini  in  a  panorama,  until,  among  all  the  'sundown's  sumptuous  pic- 
tures '  which  glowed  around  us.  there  was  not  one  like  that  of  the  great, 
fresh,  bustling  camp,  suddenly  grown  into  view,  with  its  thousand  twinkling 
lights,  its  groups  of  men  and  animals,  and  its  lines  of  white-topped  wagons, 
now  strung  like  a  necklace  of  pearls  around  the  bosom  of  the  hills.  The  Fed- 
erals had  succeeded  in  effecting  a  junction  with  the  Army  of  Chattanooga. 

"  The  question  which  naturally  arises  is,  why  did  not  General  Bragg 
.  throw  his  army  in  front  of  the  advancing  columns  and  check  the  movement  ? 
•  'The  answer  is  in  the  shape  of  one  of  those  stolid  facts  which  even  strategy 
cannot  always  stir.  On  Monday  night,  General  Thomas — or  perhaps 
Grant,  for  he  is  now  in  Chattanooga — crossed  a  force  of  six  thousnnd  men. 
first  over  the  Tennessee  at  the  edge  of  the  town,  then  over  the  neck 
of  land  known  as  the  Moccasin,  and  finally  over  the  river  again  at 
Brown's  Ferry,  in  rear  oi'  Chattanooga,  where,  after  a  brief  skirmish  with 
one  of  our  regiments,  they  took  possession  of  the  hills  and  commenced  the 
work  of  fortification.  Simultaneously  with  this  movement,  a  column  at 
Bridgeport,  consisting  of  the  Eleventh  Corps,  General  Howard,  and  the 
Twelfth  Corps,  General  Slocum,  the  whole  under  command  of  General  Joe 
Hooker,  started  up  the  valley. 

"  Under  these  circumstances,  an  interposition  of  our  forces  across  the 
valley  would  in  the  first  place  have  required  the  transfer  of  a  considerable 
portion  of  our  army  from  the  east  to  the  west  side  of  Lookout  Mountain, 
thereby  weakening  our  line  in  front  of  Chattanooga,  while  the  enemy  re- 
served his  strength  ;  secondly,  it  would  have  necessitated  a  fight  on  both 
our  front  and  rear,  with  the  flanks  of  the  federals  protected  by  the  moun- 
tains ;  and,  finally,  had  we  been  successful,  a  victory  would  only  have 
demoralized  two  corps  of  the  Yankee  army,  without  at  all  influencing  the 
direct  issue  involved  in  the  present  investment  of  Chattanooga." 

This  movement  resulted  in  giving  Thomas  possession 
of  the  river  to  Bridgeport,  twenty-eight  miles  distant 
from  Chattanooga,  and  the  point  at  which  the  Nashville 
Railroad  crosses  the  Tennessee.  Several  steamboats  were 
immediately  employed  in  bringing  up  supplies,  and  the 
army  was  soon  on  full  rations  again. 

The  march  of  General  Sherman's  troops  from  Yicksburg 
was  not  unmolested.  On  the  21st,  the  advance,  under 
Osterhaus,  moving  eastward  from  Corinth,  encountered 


HISTOKY   OF  THE   GREAT  EEBELLIOH.  863 

near  Cherokee  Station,  eighty-nine  miles  from  Tuscumbia, 
a  body  of  rebel  cavalry  under  Generals  S.  D.  Lee  and  Lor- 
ing,  estimated  at  from  four  to  six  thousand  men.  The  enemy 
was  discovered  at  eleven  o'clock  drawn  up  in  line  of  bat- 
tle, with  skirmishers  advanced.  A  heavy  fog  rendered 
it  difficult  to  find  out  much  about  his  position,  and  the 
fight  opened  somewhat  to  our  disadvantage.  Presently, 
however,  our  line  was  advanced,  and  the  enemy  vigor- 
ously attacked  ;  and  General  Osterhaus,  having  succeeded 
in  getting  up  his  twenty-pounder  I'arrotts,  the  rebels, 
under  their  tire,  broke  in  great  confusion.  The  fight, 
which  was  very  spirited  throughout  its  entire  duration, 
did  not  last  over  sixty  minutes  from  the  firing  of  the  first 
gun  until  the  enemy  was  in  full  retreat. 

The  enemy  under  Johnston,  however,  compelled  Sher- 
man to  change  his  route.  It  had  been  proposed  to  bring 
his  column  along  the  south  bank  of  the  Tennessee,  in  or- 
der that  he  might  open  the  Memphis  and  Charleston 
Railroad  from  Bear  Creek  as  far  east  as  Decatur,  and  as 
much  farther  towards  Huntsville  as  possible,  under  inti- 
mations from  the  War  Department  that  this  would  be  the 
main  channel  of  communication  with  Chattanooga.  Work 
was  accordingly  commenced,  and  by  the  1st  of  Novem- 
ber the  road  had  been  opened  from  Corinth,  through  luka 
and  across  Bear  Creek,  to  Cherokee  Station,  Alabama. 
As  soon,  however,  as  this  intention  was  apparent  to  the 
rebels,  a  swarm  of  their  cavalry  settled  on  the  railroad, 
harassing  the  advance  and  destroying  every  thing  destruc- 
tible. After  enduring  this  annoyance  for  some  time,  the 
programme  was  changed,  and  Sherman,  abandoning  the 
attempt  to  open  and  guard  the  railroad  line,  crossed  to 
the  north  side  of  the,  Tennessee,  where  his  march  would 
not  be  interrupted. 

At  this  time,  Burnside  was  covering  Knoxville  and  an 
important  part  of  East  Tennessee.  In  the  expectation 
that  he  could  be  driven  out,  Longstreet  had  been  detach- 
ed from  Bragg's  army  to  move  on  Knoxville,  and  on  the 
6th  of  November  he  captured  the  garrisons  of  ten  of 
Burnside's  outposts,  fifty  miles  from  Knoxville,  threaten- 
ing to  compel  the  Union  general  to  fight  at  disadvantage 
or  uncover  Knoxville.  From  that  point  the  rebel  cavalry 
advanced  towards  Knoxville,  anol  on  the  15th  captured 
portions  of  two  or  three  cavalry  regiments,  numbering 


864:  HISTORY  OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

three  hundred  men,  at  Marysville,  fifteen  miles  from 
Knoxville,  in  the  direction  of  Little  Holston,  and  drove 
the  remainder  of  the  force  into  Knoxville. 

On  learning  this  result,  General  Saunders,  commanding 
a  cavalry  brigade,  advanced  to  give  the  enemy  fight,  but 
finding  them  too  strong  for  him,  he  withdrew  his  force  in 
line  of  battle  three  miles  from  Knoxville.  This  position, 
after  an  ineffectual  struggle,  was  abandoned.  From  this 
point,  this  portion  of  the  enemy's  force  advanced  on  Ilock- 
ville,  eight  miles  from  Knoxville,  driving  the  Union  out- 
posts before  them  close  up  to  the  latter  place.  While  these 
operations  were  proceeding  on  the  line  indicated,  the  main 
force  of  the  enemy,  under  Longstreet,  Cheatham,  and  Peg- 
ram,  advanced  by  way  of  Loudon  and  Lenoir — the  passage 
of  the  river  at  the  former  place  being  made  on  Saturday, 
November  14th,  and  the  Union  troops  falling  back  before 
them  in  good  order.  During  all  the  15th  brisk  skirmish- 
ing was  going  on,  and  on  the  16th  the  enemy  was  held  in 
check  all  day  at  Campbell  Station,  twelve  miles  from 
Knoxville,  on  the  Lenoir  road.  Burnside  was,  during 
this  action,  personally  in  command.  His  loss  amounted 
to  two  hundred  and  fifty  men ;  rebel  loss  unknown. 
During  the  16th  our  army  fell  back  on  Knoxville,  and 
early  on  Tuesday  morning  (ITth)  the  line  of  battle  was 
formed  around  the  city.  At  noon  the  rebels  appeared  on 
the  Lenoir  road,  two  miles  from  the  town,  and  heavy 
skirmishing  immediately  commenced — Saunders  holding 
the  line  gallantly  and  stubbornly  until  nightfall.  Late  in 
the  evening  our  troops  charged  the  rebels,  and  drove  them 
from  their  ground,  but  fell  back  to  the  original  line.  On 
Wednesday,  18th,  heavy  skirmishing  was  resumed,  both 
parties  losing  severely.  General  Saunders,  a  brave  and 
excellent  officer,  was  among  the  wounded,  and  died  of 
his  wounds  the  following  day.  Thursday  and  Friday, 
19th  and  20th  witnessed  a  continuation  of  the  strug- 
gle, with  the  element  of  heavy  artillery  firing  added,  and 
on  the  23d  we  find  the  following  dispatch  from  General 
Bragg  :— 

"  MISSIONARY  RIDGE,  November  23. 
"  To  General  COOPEB: 

"  We  hold  all  the  railroads  leading  into  Knoxville,  except  the  one 
between  Holston  and  French  Broad  Rivers.  General  Jones's  cavalrj 
might  close  that.  The  enemy's  cavalry  is  most  broken  up.  Wheeler  cut 
off  his  train  between  Cumberland  Gap  and  Knoxville. 

(Signed)  *  BRAXTON  BRAGG." 


HISTOKY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  865 

The  siege  of  Knoxville  proceeded  without  any  occur- 
rence of  special  interest  until  the  28th,  when  an  attack 
was  made  against  a  small  fort  mounting  six  guns,  on  a 
hill  near  the  town,  and  commanding  the  approaches  to  it 
on  that  side  of  the  river.  The  fort  was  occupied  by  the 
Twenty-ninth  Massachusetts,  the.  Seventy-ninth  New 
York,  and  two  companies  of  the  Second  and  one  of  the 
Twentieth  Michigan.  On  its  front  and  flanks  was  once  a 
field  of  pines,  which  had  been  cut  down,  with  the  tops 
falling  in  all  directions,  making  an  almost  impassable 
mass  of  brush  and  timber.  A  space  around  the  fort  was 
cleared.  The  ditch  in  front  was  about  ten  feet  deep,  and 
the  parapet  nearly  twenty  feet  high.  The  assault  was 
made  near  daylight,  on  the  29th,  by  the  brigades  of  Bryan 
and  Humphrey,  with  a  party  from  Wblford's.  The  ene- 
my advanced  in  three  lines  and  made  the  attack  fiercely, 
but  all  attempts  to  scale  the  sides  of  the  fort  failed,  and 
they  were  finally  repulsed  with  a  loss  of  two  hundred 
killed  and  wounded,  and  several  hundred  made  prisoners. 
Meantime  the  force  of  Burnside  was  closely  pressed,  and 
provisions  became  so  scarce  that  his  troops  were  put  on 
half  rations  of  bread. 

By  the  movement  of  Longstreet,  however,  Bragg  was 
weakened,  and  Grant  therefore  determined  to  attack  the 
the  latter,  and  if  possible  separate  him  from  Longstreet. 
The  forces  of  Bragg  held  Missionary  Bidge,  the  Chatta- 
nooga Valley,  and  Lookout  Mountain,  with  their  left 
resting  on  the  latter,  and  their  right  on  the  ridge  near  the 
tunnel  of  the  Knoxville  and  Chattanooga  B-ailroad. 
Their  pickets  occupied  the  south  bank  of  the  Tennessee 
Biver  lor  miles  above,  and  their  supplies  were  brought 
by  the  railroad  from  Atlanta  and  Dalton.  The  principal 
rebel  force  was  in  the  Chattanooga  Valley,  between  Look- 
out Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge,  and  on  that  slope 
of  Lookout,  thus  being  very  nearly  on  his  centre.  The 
ridge  was  heavily  posted  with  artillery. 

The  movement  projected  by  Grant  was  promptly  exe- 
cuted. Orders  were  sent  to  JBurnside  to  lure  Longstreet 
as  far  away  as  possible,  and  fall  back  to  a  position  where 
he  could  stand  a  siege  and  subsist  from  the  country.  A 
division  of  Sherman's  troops  was  to  be  sent  to  Trenton, 
threatening  the  enemy's  left  flank.  Under  cover  of  this 
movement,  Sherman's  main  body  was  to  march  up  by 

53 


866  HISTORY  OF  THE  GKEAT  REBELLION. 

Hooker's  lines,  crossing  the  Brown's  Ferry  bridge  mostly 
at  night,  thence  into  a  concealed  camp  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  opposite  South  Chickamauga  Creek.  One 
division  was  directed  to  encamp  on  the  North  Chicka- 
mauga.; about  one  hundred  and  twenty  pontoons  were 
to  be  taken  under  cover  of  hills  and  woods,  and  launched 
into  the  North  Chickamauga ;  these  were  to  be  filled  with 
men,  to  be  floated  out  into  the  Tennessee  and  down  it, 
until  opposite  the  South  Chickamauga  (about  three  miles 
below),  to  effect  a  landing  on  that  bank,  and  throw  up 
works ;  the  remainder  of  the  command  were  to  be  taken 
across  in  the  same  boats,  or  a  portion  of  them ;  the  Ten- 
nessee and  South  Chickamauga  were  to  be  bridged,  and 
then  the  artillery  crossed  and  moved  at  once  to  seize  a 
foothold  on  the  ridge,  taking  up  a  line  facing  the  enemy's 
right  flank  near  the  tunnel.  Howard's  Corps  of  Hooker's 
command  was  to  cross  into  the  town  by  the  two  bridges, 
and  fill  the  gap  between  Sherman's  proposed  position  and 
the  main  body  of  Thomas's  army.  Hooker,  with  the 
remainder  of  his  force  and  the  division  sent  to  Trenton, 
was  to  carry  the  point  of  Lookout,  and  then  threaten  the 
enemy's  left,  which  would  thus  be  thrown  back,  and 
forced  to  evacuate  the  mountain  and  take  position  on  the 
ridge ;  and  then  the  Federal  troops,  threatening  the  ene- 
my s  communications  upon  one  flank,  were  to  advance 
the  whole  line  or  turn  the  other  flank,  as  the  chances 
might  dictate.  Then  a  part  of  the  force  was  to  follow  as 
far  as  possible,  while  Sherman  destroyed  the  railroad  from 
Cleveland  to  Dalton,  and  then  pushed  on  to  relieve  Knox- 
ville,  and  capture,  disperse,  or  drive  off  Longstreet  from 
before  it. 

General  Smith,  chief  engineer,  took  personal  charge  of 
the  preliminaries  necessary  for  the  move  on  the  left  flank. 
The  pontoons  were  put  in  the  Chickamauga;  the  men 
encamped;  the  bridge  trains  ready  to  debouch  at  the 
proper  point;  and  so  completely  was  every  thing  ar- 
ranged that  no  confusion  whatever  occurred.  Artillery 
was  posted  on  the  side  of  the  river  to  cross  fire  in  front  of 
the  point  of  landing,  and  force  the  same,  if  necessary. 

On  Monday,  November  24th,  an  armed  reconnoissance 
was  made  by  Thomas  on  his  left,  which  developed  the 
enemy's  lines  and  gave  the  Union  general  a  1m  e  of  battle 
in  advance  of  his  picket  lines,  at  the  same  tune  allowing 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT  REBELLION.  867 

the  Eleventh  Corps  (Howard's)  to  come  into  the  position 
assigned  it.  At  midnight  the  men  entered  the  pontoons, 
floated  down,  and  effected  a  landing.  At  daylight  the 
ppntoniers  were  at  work,  and  at  noon  the  Tennessee 
River  was  bridged  by  a  pontoon  bridge  fourteen  hundred 
feet  long,  and  the  rest  of  Sherman's  troops  crossed  with 
his  artillery.  He  then  pushed  out  to  the  ridge  and  took 
up  his  position,  and  Howard  communicated  with  him,  his 
force  having  marched  to  its  place.  Hooker's  forces 
formed  a  line  of  battle  running  up  and  down  the  side  of 
the  mountain  and  sweeping  around  the  point,  and  at 
night  of  the  same  day  (the  24th)  held  what  he  had 
gained,  and  communicated  with  Thomas's  right.  That 
night  the  enemy  evacuated  Lookout  Mountain  top,  and 
fell  back  from  his  front  to  the  ridge.  Thus,  on  Tuesday 
night,  Bragg  was  threatened  on  both  flanks,  with  a  heavy 
line  of  battle  in  his  front.  It  was  difficult  for  him  to 
determine  what  the  Federal  move  would  be.  His  rail- 
road must  be  held,  at  all  hazards,  from  Sherman.  The 
amount  of  Hooker's  force  he  could  distinctly  see.  He 
re-enforced  his  right  very  heavily,  leaving  enough  to  hold 
his  left  and  front,  as  he  supposed.  On  the  25th,  "Wednes- 
day, Sherman  commenced  ,to  move.  Two  hills  were 
taken.  From  the  third  he  was  several  times  repulsed, 
and  he  moved  around  more  force,  as  if  to  get  in  rear  of 
Bragg's  line,  and  the  latter  then  commenced  massing 
against  him.  The  critical  moment  had  now  arrived. 
Hooker  moved  his  columns  along  the  Rossville  road 
towards  Bragg's  left,  and  this  drew  still  more  force  from 
the  latter's  centre. 

Grant  now  ordered  Thomas  to  advance  and  take  the 
rifle-pits,  at  the  base  of  the  mountain.  The  Army  of  the 
Cumberland,  remembering  Chickamauga,  and  impatient 
by  reason  of  remaining  spectators  of  the  operations  of 
Sherman  and  Hooker  for  two  days,  went  forward  with  a 
will,  drove  the  enemy  in  disorder  from  his  lower  works, 
and  went  on,  heedless  of  the  heavy  artillery  and  mus- 
ketry hurled  against  them  from  the  crest  of  the  ridge. 
Halfway  up  they  seemed  to  falter,  but  it  was  only  for 
breath.  Without  returning  a  shot  they  kept  on,  crowned 
the  ridge,  captured  thirty-hve  out  of  the  forty-four  pieces 
of  artillery  on  the  hill,  turned  some  of  them  against  the 
masses  in  Sherman's  front,  and  the  rebel  line  fell  back, 


868  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT    REBELLION. 

while  the  rest  of  Bragg's  army,  including  Bragg  and 
Hardee,  fled,  routed  and  broken,  towards  Einggold. 
Thousands  of  prisoners  and  small-arms  and  quantities  of 
munitions  of  war  were  taken.  Hooker  took  up  the  pur- 
suit, and  that  night  Mission  Ridge  blazed  resplendent 
with  Union  camp-fires.  The  next  day,  Hooker  pushed 
the  enemy  to  Ringgold,  where  he  made  a  show  of  stub- 
born resistance,  but  was  forced  to  retire.  Sherman  and 
Howard  pushed  for  the  railroad,  whixjh  they  smashed 
completely.  The  Union  loss  in  this  battle,  in  killed, 
wounded,  and  missing,  was  reported  at  about  four  thou- 
sand. Upwards  of  six  thousand  rebel  prisoners,  not  in- 
cluding wounded,  were  captured,  besides  forty-two  pieces 
of  artillery,  many  thousand  small-arms,  and  a  large  train. 
The  rebel  loss  is  not  known. 

Sherman  was  now  re-enforced  by  the  Eleventh  Corps, 
and  began  his  march  to  relieve  Knoxville.  Five  miles 
above  London,  at  Davis's  Ford,  the  Eleventh  Corps  crossed 
the  Little  Tennessee,  and  at  Morgantown,  seven  miles 
farther  up,  the  Fourth  and  his  own  corps  crossed.  The 
Eleventh  moved  on  the  next  day  to  Louisville,  a  distance 
of  thirty-one  miles.  The  other  troops  moved  to  Marys- 
ville.  All  were  on  the  south  side  of  the  Holston.  On 
the  night  of  December  3d,  the  cavalry  of  Sherman  reached 
Knoxville.  This  movement  turned  the  flank  of  Long- 
street,  and  he  raised  the  siege  and  retreated  towards  Rut- 
ledge  on  that  night.  On  the  next  day,  the  Fourth  Corps 
arrived  at  Knoxville,  and  in  conjunction  with  Burnside's 
forces  immediately  commenced  a  pursuit.  Longstreet  fell 
back  into  the  border  of  Virginia,  and  took  a  strong  posi- 
tion. Burnside  was  subsequently  relieved  from  the  com- 
mand of  the  Department  of  the  Ohio  at  his  own  urgent 
request,  and  General  Foster  assigned  to  its  command. 

When  Longstreet  reached  Rogersville  with  his  main 
force,  he  was  joined  by  Yaughan  and  Ransom,  and  he 
here  made  a  stand  which  relieved  Bragg  from  the  press- 
ure of  pursuit,  and  remained  there  some  time,  exposed  to 
many  hardships. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  869 


CHAPTER   XLYIII. 

Operations  against  Charleston. — Arrival  of  Monitors. — Montauk. — Attack 
by  the  Enemy. — Iron-clad  Attack  on  •  Sumter. — Capture  of  the  At- 
lanta.— General  Gillmore  in  Command. — Assault  on  Fort  Wagner. — Bom- 
bardment of  Fort  Sumter. — Siege  and  Reduction  of  Fort  "Wagner. — Occu- 
pation of  Morris  Island. 

THE  operations  in  the  Department  of  the  South  after 
the  evacuation  of  James  Island  were,  for  a  long  time,  un- 
important, owing  to  the  employment  of  troops  in  other 
operations.  Early  in  1863,  a  naval  attack  was  contem- 
plated upon  Charleston,  with  which  a  land  force  was 
deemed  necessary  to  co-operate.  General  Foster  was, 
therefore,  sent  with  a  considerable  force  and  a  large  siege 
equipage  to  assist  the  naval  attack.  But  not  proving  ac- 
ceptable to  General  Hunter,  then  in  command,  he  return- 
ed to  North  Carolina,  leaving  his  troops  and  siege  equi- 
page. These,  in  consequence  of  the  failure  of  the  naval 
attack,  were  never  employed  for  the  purpose  intended. 
The  vessels  engaged  in  blockading  the  coasts  of  South 
Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Florida,  comprised  the  South  At- 
lantic Squadron,  Rear-Admiral  S.  J.  Dupont  command- 
ing. Early  in  January,  1863,  the  first  detachment  of  iron- 
clads, destined  to  operate  against  Charleston,  arrived,  and 
the  Montauk  was  ordered  to  attack  Fort  McAllister,  on 
the  Ogeechee  River,  with  a  view  of  testing  her  capabili- 
ties. Accordingly  on  January  27th,  the  Montauk,  sup- 
ported by  seven  gunboats,  opened  upon  the  fort  with  her 
fifteen  and  eleven  inch  guns,  and,  having  expended  her 
shells,  retired.  She  was  struck  thirteen  times,  but  re- 
ceived no  material  injury ;  and  the  fort,  a  powerful  sand- 
work,  mounting  several  guns,  was  in  no  perceptible  degree 
affected  by  the  bombardment.  TWs  settled  the  question 
of  the  efficiency  of  this  species  *f  defensive  works  as 
against  iron-clads.  On  the  morning  of  the  4th  January, 
the  enemy's  iron-clad  steam  rams  Palmetto  State  and 
Chicora,  under  Flag-officer  Ingraham,  ran  out  of  Charles- 
ton in  a  thick  haze,  and  attacked  the  blockading  fleet. 


870 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 


They  disabled  the  Mercedita  and  the  Keystone  State,  but 
retired  on  the  approach  of  the  Housatonic.  The  enemy 
claimed  that  by  this  operation  they  had  broken  up  the 
blockade  of  Charleston,  by  temporarily  driving  off  the 
fleet,  and  that,  by  the  law  of  nations,  sixty  days'  notice 
would  be  required  to  restore  the  blockade.  This  claim 
was  not  allowed,  however. 


The  preparations  that  had  long  been  on  foot  for  a  com- 
bined attack  by  the  iron-clads  upon  the  fortifications  of 
Charleston  Harbor  were  finally  completed,  and  on  the 
morning  of  April  6th,  1863,  the  fleet  passed  the  bar,  and 
moved  to  the  attack  in  the  following  order :  "Weehaw- 
ken,  Passaic,  Montauk,  Patapsco,  New  Ironsides,  Catskill 


HISTORY   OF  THlE   GREAT   REBELLION.  871 

Kantucket,  Nahant,  and  Keokuk.  Admiral  Dupont  was 
on  board  his  flag-ship,  the  New  Ironsides.  The  squadron 
was  ordered  to  pass  up  the  main  channel  without  return- 
ing the  fire  of  Morris  Island,  and  to  engage  Sumter  on  its 
northwest  face,  at  a  distance  of  from  eight  hundred  to  one 
thousand  yards.  At  half-past  twelve  o  clock  the  fleet  be- 
gan to  move,  the  Weehawken,  having  a  raft  for  clearing 
obstructions,  being  in  advance.  The  fleet  got  within  ef- 
fective range  of/Fort  Sumter  and  Sullivan's  Island  shortly 
before  three  o'clock,  and  at  ten  minutes  to  three  the  bat- 
teries of  Sullivan's  Island,  Morris  Island,  and  Fort  Sum- 
ter opened  upon  it.  In  the  channel  between  Sumter  and 
Sullivan's  Island  the  obstructions  proved  to  be  of  so  for- 
midable a  character  that  the  Weehawken  deviated  from 
her  course,  and  the  line  got  into  some  confusion.  The 
New  Ironsides  became  unmanageable,  and  was  fouled  by 
the  Catskill  and  Nantucket,  so  that  for  half  an  hour  the 
three  vessels  were  at  dead-lock.  It  was  four  o'clock 
before  the  remainder  of  the  fleet  got  into  position  on  the 
northeast  front  of  Sumter,  at  five  hundred  and  fifty  to 
eight  hundred  yards'  distance,  beyond  which  point,  owing 
to  floating  torpedoes,  it  was  found  impossible  to  pass. 
Meantime,  the  enemy  had  concentrated  a  fire  of  three 
hundred  guns  upon  the  fleet,  exceeding  in  rapidity  of  fire 
arid  weight  of  metal  any  previous  cannonade  known  in 
warfare..  The  iron-clads  could  reply  but  with  sixteen 
guns,  and  their  officers  described  the  effect  of  the  shot 
upon  the  sides  of  the  vessels  as  like  the  ticking  of  a  clock. 
A  dense  cloud  of  smoke  settled  oVer  the  fleet,  which  was 
the  focus  of  this  fire,  adding  to  the  embarrassment  of  the 
occasion.  The  iron-clads  directed  their  efforts  mainly 
against  Sumter,  and  the  Keokuk  ran  up  to  within  five 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  the  fort,  where  she  remained 
thirty  minutes  a  special  target.  In  that  time  she  received; 
ninety  shots,  three  per  minute.  Of  these,  nineteen  pen~- 
etrated  at  and  below  the  water-line,  some  entering  her< 
turret.  She  drew  off  with  pumps  going  to  keep  her  afloat,, 
having  fired  but  three  times.  The  remaining  vessels  suf- 
fered far  less  than  the  Keokuk,  and  none  were  materially 
injured.  The  New  Ironsides  never  got  fairly  into  action,, 
and  discharged  but  one  broadside.  At  half-past  fou;p,.Ad- 
miral  Dupont  signalled  to  withdraw  from  action.  Puring 
the  forty-five  minutes  that  the  fleet  had  been  undear  fire,, 


872  HISTORY   OF  THE   GBEAT   REBELLION. 

five  had  been  partially  disabled,  while  the  injuries  inflicted 
by  them  upon  the  fort  had  been  comparatively  slight. 
Under  these  circumstances,  the  whole  fleet,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  New  Ironsides,  returned  on  the  12th  to 
Port  Koyal.  The  President  telegraphed  to  Dupont  to 
hold  his  position  inside  Charleston  Bar,  and  to  permit  the 
enemy  to  erect  no  new  batteries  on  Morris  Island.  This 
was  in  view  of  a  second  attack  upon  Fort  Sumter  and 
Charleston  by  the  combined  military  and  naval  forces. 

The  most  marked  and  extraordinary  conflict  within  the 
limits  of  this  squadron,  or  indeed  in  the  service  during  the 
year,  and,  in  some  respects,  one  of  the  most  significant 
and  instructive  naval  battles  of  the  war,  took  place  on  the 
17th  June,  in  Warsaw  Sound,  between  the  Weehawken, 
a  vessel  of  the  Monitor  class,  and  the  formidable  armored 
steamer  Atlanta.  Like  the  contest  in  Hampton  Roads, 
in  March,  1862,  when  the  Monitor  and  Merrimac  were 
engaged,  this  battle  was  between  armored  vessels  and  of 
great  disparity  in  size,  but  the  result  was  vastly  more 
speedy  and  decisive.  The  Atlanta  was  a  powerful  steamer, 
had  been  iron-plated  by  the  rebels,  and  prepared  for  war 
purposes  at  immense  expense.  In  the  confidence  of  cer- 
tain victory  over  her  comparatively  diminutive  antago- 
nists— the  Weehawken  and  Nahant — she  was  accompanied 
by  boats  loaded  with  gay  parties  to  witness  her  triumph  ; 
but  the  brave  officers  and  men  of  our  turreted  vessels 
knew  their  power  and  sought  the  encounter.  This  battle 
was  to  test  not  only  the  vessels,  but  the  new  fifteen-inch 
ordnance,  then  for  the  first  time  brought  into  naval  war- 
fare, and  concerning  which  there  had  been,  as  well  as 
with  respect  to  the  vessels  themselves,  some  variety  of 
opinion.  The  conflict  was  so  brief  and  decisive  that  only 
one  of  the  two  Monitor  vessels,  though  not  widely  sepa- 
rated, and  each  eager  for  the  fight,  was  able  to  participate 
in  the  engagement.  The  Nahant,  having  no  pilot,  followed 
in  the  wake  of  the  "Weehawken,  but  before  she  could  get 
into  action  the  contest  was  over. 

Such  was  the  brevity  of  the  fight  that  the  Weehawken, 
in  about  fifteen  minutes,  and  with  only  five  shots  from  her 
heavy  guns,  overpowered  and  captured  her  formidable 
antagonist,  before  the  Nahant,  which  was  hastening  to 
the  work,  could  discharge  a  single  shot  at  the  Atlanta. 
This  remarkable  result  was  an  additional  testimony  in  fa- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  873 

vor  of  the  Monitor  class  of  vessels  for  harbor  defence  and 
coast  service  against  any  naval  vessels  that  have  been  or 
are  likely  to  be  constructed  to  visit  our  shores.  It  appears, 
also,  to  have  extinguished  whatever  lingering  hopes  the 
rebels  may  have  had  of  withstanding  our  naval  power  by 
naval  means. 

Early  in  June,  General  Hunter  was  succeeded  in  the 
command  of  the  Department  of  the  South  by  General  Q. 
A.  Gillmore,*  and  about  the  same  time,  Rear-Admiral 
Dupont  having  expressed  a  willingness  to  relinquish  the 
position  which  he  had  occupied  for  eighteen  months,  Rear- 
Admiral  Andrew  H.  Foote  was  detailed  to  relieve  him. 
When  on  his  way  to  his  command,  however,  he  was  seized 
with  fatal  illness  and  died  in  'New  York.  His  associate 
and  second  in  command,  Rear-Admiral  John  A.  Dahl- 
gren,  proceeded  immediately  to  Port  Royal,  and,  on  the 
6th  day  of  July,  assumed  command  of  the  squadron.  A 
combined  operation  of  naval  and  army  forces,  the  latter 
under  General  Gillmore,  was  immediately  instituted  for 
the  occupation  and  possession  of  Morris  Island,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  entrance  to  Charleston  Harbor.  Morris 
Island,  the  site  of  Forts  "Wagner  and  Gregg,  is  a  narrow 
ridge  of  sand,  formed  by  successive  accumulations  from 
the  beach,  running  along  the  entrance  to  Charleston  Har- 
bor. This  ridge  slopes  from  the  shore  inward,  terminat- 
ing in  a  series  of  salt-water  marshes,  intersected  by  narrow 

*  Quincy  Adams  Gillmore  was  born  in  Lorain  County.  Ohio,  in  1825,  and 
graduated  at  West  Point,  at  the  head  of  his  class,  in  1849.  Previous  to 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  was  much  employed  on  the  fortifications, 
and  was  also  for  four  years  instructor  of  engineering  at  West  Point.  In 
October,  1861,  he  was  appointed  chief-engineer  to  the  Port  Royal  Expedi- 
tion, and  in  the  succeeding  April  he  planned  and  carried  out  the  operations 
for  the  capture  of  Fort  Pulaski,  in  the  Savannah  Eiver,  of  which  he  pub- 
lished an  account  in  1863.  In  April,  1862,  he  was  appointed  brigadier-gen- 
eral of  volunteers.  Having  been  transferred  to  the  Department  of  the  Ohio, 
he  defeated  a  large  rebel  force  near  Somerset,  Ky.,  on  March  30th,  1863.  In 
June,  he  assumed  command  of  the  Department  of  the  South,  and,  in  the 
series  of  operations  which  led  to  the  occupation  of  Morris  Island,  developed 
a  new  era  in  the  science  of  engineering  and  gunnery.  He  retained  com- 
mand of  the  Department  of  the  South  until  the  spring  of  1864,  when  he 
took  the  field  at  the  head  of  the  Tenth  Army  Corps,  under  Butler,  to  co-op- 
erate in  the  movement  against  Richmond.  Having  come  into  collision  with 
Butler,  he  was  relieved  of  his  command,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year 
undertook  a  tour  of  inspection  among  the  fortifications  in  the  West.  In  the 
spring  of  1865,  he  was  reappointed  to  the  Department  of  the  South.  He 
now  commands  the  Department  of  South  Carolina,  and  is  major-general  of 
volunteers  and  a  brigadier-general  of  the  regular  army. 


874  msTOET  OF  THE  GKEAT  REBELLION. 

creeks,  which  lie  to  the  west  of  it.  The  width  of  the  por- 
tion disposable  for  the  trenches  in  no  point  exceeds  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  yards,  while  in  others  it  narrows 
to  twenty-five  yards  at  high  tide. 

The  plan  of  attack  proposed  by  Gillmore  was :  First,  to 
effect  a  lodgment  on  the  soutn  side  of  Morris  Island, 
which  it  was  known  that  the  enemy  was  then  strongly 
fortifying.  Second,  to  besiege  and  reduce  Fort  Wagner, 
by  which  all  the  works  on  Cummings's  Point  would  ne- 
cessarily fall.  Third,  from  the  positions  thus  gained,  to 
reduce  Fort  Sumter.  Fourth,  the  vessels  of  war  to  re- 
move the  obstructions  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor  and 
reach  the  city  by  running  by  the  works  on  Sullivan's 
Island. 

The  first  point  was  effected  by  a  diversion  made  on  the 
Stono,  which  drew  off  half  the  enemy's  forces  from  Mor- 
ris Island,  and  rendered  its  capture  by  surprise  compara- 
tively bloodless.  This  was  done  July  10th,  as  appears 
by  the  following  dispatch : — 

"  HEAD-QUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OP  THE  SOUTH     ) 
"Iw  THE  FIELD,  MORRIS  ISLAND,  S.  C.,  July  12,  1863.  J 
"  Major-General  H.  W.  HALLECK,  General-in-Chief : 

"  SIR  : — I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  at  five  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  the  10th  instant  I  made  an  attack  upon  the  enemy's  fortified  position  on 
the  south  end  of  Morris  Island,  and,  after  an  engagement  of  three  hours 
and  a  quarter,  captured  all  his  strongholds  upon  that  part  of  the  island, 
and  pushed  forward  my  infantry  to  within  six  hundred  yards  of  Fort 
Wagner. 

"We  now  hold  all  the  island  except  about  one  mile  on  the  north  end, 
which  includes  Fort  Wagner  and  a  battery  on  Commings's  Point,  mounting 
at  the  present  time  fourteen  or  fifteen  heavy  guns  in  the  aggregate. 

"  The  assaulting  column  was  gallantly  led  by  Brigadier-General  Strong. 
It  landed  in  small  boats  under  cover  of  my  batteries  on  Folly  Island  and 
four  monitors  led  by  Rear-Admiral  Dahlgren,  which  entered  the  main 
channel  abreast  of  Morris  Island  soon  after  our  batteries  opened.  The 
monitors  continued  their  fire  during  the  day,  mostly  on  Fort  Wagner. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  llth  instant,  at  daybreak,  an  effort  was  made  to 
carry  Fort  Wagner  by  assault.  The  parapet  was  gained,  but  the  supports 
recoiled  under  the  fire  to  which  they  were  exposed,  and  could  not  be  got 
up.  Our  loss  in  both  actions  will  not  vary  much  from  one  hundred  and 
fifty  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners.  We  have  taken  eleven  pieces  of 
heavy  ordnance  and  a  large  quantity  of  camp  equipage. 

"The  enemy's  loss  in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing,  will  not  fall  short 
of  two  hundred. 

"Q.  A.  GILLMORE,  Brigadier- General  Commanding." 

The  failure  of  two  assaults  on  Fort  Wagner  led  to  a 
modification  of  the  plan.  As  Fort  Sumter  kept  up  an  an- 
noying fire  across  Fort  Wagner  upon  Gillinore's  trenches, 


HISTORY   OF   THE  GEEAT   REBELLION.  875 

some  heavy  guns  were  placed  in  battery,  and,  at  a  dis- 
tance of  from  two  to  two  and  a  half  miles,  succeeded  in 
silencing  the  fire.  Having  effected  this  important  object, 
the  approaches  and  other  works  against  Fort  Wagner 
were  more  easily  pushed  forward.  Armed  with  seventeen 
heavy  guns,  well  flanked  with  a  wet  ditch,  a  bomb-proof 
for  its  garrison  that  resisted  the  heaviest  shells,  approach- 
able only  in  front  over  the  sand  ridge,  which  narrows 
down  to  twenty-five  yards  in  width  just  in  front  of  the 
work,  guarded  on  the  east  by  the  sea  and  on  the  west  by 
Vincent's  Creek  and  the  marsh  from  surprise,  seen  in 
reverse  by  Battery  Gregg  and  thirty  guns  on  Sullivan's 
Island,  in  flank  by  the  batteries  on  James's  Island,  while 
all  the  ground  in  advance  of  it  was  swept  at  one  point  or 
another  by  all  its  guns,  a  more  difficult  problem  had  sel- 
dom, if  ever,  been  presented  for  the  solution  of  the  engi- 
neer than  its  reduction. 

The  first  parallel  and  the  batteries  in  it  were  ready  on 
July  18th,  and  fire  was  opened  at  one  thousand  three 
hundred  and  fifty  yards,  several  hours  prior  to  the  assault 
on  that  day.  It  was  commenced  at  noon  by  General  Gill- 
more's  batteries  and  the  frigate  Ironsides ;  five  monitors, 
two  mortar  schooners,  and  three  wooden  gunboats  soon 
joined  in.  The  enemy  replied  briskly  from  Fort  Wag- 
ner, Battery  Bee,  beyond  Cummings's  Point,  and  the  guns 
on  the  southwestern  face  of  Fort  Sumter.  The  fire  was 
chiefly  directed  against  the  vessels,  and  occasionally  a 
shell  was  thrown  at  the  batteries.  Soon  after  four  o'clock 
the  fire  of  Fort  Wagner  ceased.  It  was  known  that  one 
gun  had  been  dismounted,  and  another  was  supposed  to 
have  exploded.  Under  the  impression  that  the  works  were 
evacuated,  another  attempt  to  occupy  them  was  deter- 
mined upon.  For  this  purpose  two  brigades,  consisting 
of  the  Seventh  Connecticut  Regiment,  the  Third  New 
Hampshire,  the  Ninth  Maine,  the  Seventy-sixth  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  the  Forty- eighth  New  York,  under  Brigadier- 
General  Strong,  and  the  Seventh  New  Hampshire,  Sixth 
Connecticut,  Sixty-second  Ohio,One  Hundredth  New  York, 
and  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  (colored),  under  Colonel 
Putnam,  were  ordered  forward  from  behind  the  sand-hills. 
The  brigades  were  formed  in  line  on  the  beach,  with  the 
regiments  disposed  in  columns,  the  colored  regiment 
being  in  advance.  This  movement  was  observed  at  Fort 


876  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

Sumter,  and  a  fire  was  opened  on  the  troops,  but  with- 
out effect.  At  dark,  the  order  was  given  for  both  bri- 
gades to  advance,  General  Strong's  leading,  and  Colonel 
Putnam's  within  supporting  distance.  The  troops  went 
forward,  at  quick  time  and  in  silence,  until  the  Fifty- 
fourth  Massachusetts,  led  by  Colonel  Shaw,  was  within 
two  hundred  yards  of  the  work,  when  the  men  gave  a 
fierce  yell  and  rushed  up  the  glacis,  closely  followed  by 
the  other  regiments  of  the  brigade. 

The  enemy,  hitherto  silent,  opened  upon  them  furiously 
with  grape,  canister,  and  a  continuous  fusilade  of  small- 
arms.  The  negroes,  however,  plunged  on,  and  many  of 
them  crossed  the  ditch,  although  it  contained  four  feet  of 
water,  gaining  the  parapet.  They  were  dislodged,  how- 
ever, in  a  few  minutes,  with  hand-grenades,  and  retired, 
leaving  more  than  one-half  of  their  number,  including 
their  colonel,  dead  upon  the  field.  The  Sixth  Connecti- 
cut Regiment,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Rodman,  was 
next  in  support  of  the  Fifty-fourth,  and  they  also  suffered 
terribly,  being  compelled  to  retire  after  a  stubborn  con- 
test. The  Ninth  Maine,  which  was  next  in  line,  was 
broken  up  by  the  passage  of  the  remnant  of  the  repulsed 
colored  regiment  through  its  lines,  and  retired  in  confu- 
sion, excepting  three  companies  which  stood  their  ground. 

It  now  developed  upon  the  Third  New  Hampshire 
Regiment  to  push  forward,  and,  led  by  General  Strong 
and  Colonel  Jackson  in  person,  they  dashed  up  against 
the  fort.  Three  companies  gained  the  ditch,  and,  wading 
through  the  water,  found  shelter  against  the  embankment. 
Here  was  the  critical  point  of  the  assault,  and  the  Second 
Brigade,  which  should  have  been  up  and  ready  to  sup- 

Eort  their  comrades  of  the  First,  were  unaccountably  de- 
lyed.  Strong  then  gave  the  order  to  fall  back  and  lie 
down  on  the  glacis,  which  was  obeyed,  without  confusion. 
"While  waiting  here,  exposed  to  the  heavy  fire,  Strong 
was  wounded.  Finding  that  the  supports  did  not  come, 
he  gave  the  order  for  his  brigade  to  retire,  and  the  men 
left  the  field  in  perfect  order. 

Soon  afterwards  the  other  brigades  came  on,  and  made 
up  for  their  tardiness  by  their  valor.  Rushing  impetu- 
ously up  the  glacis,  undeterred  by  the  fury  of  the  enemy, 
whose  fire  was  not  intermitted,  several  of  the  regiments  suc- 
ceeded in  crossing  the  ditch,  scaling  the  parapet,  and  de- 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  877 

scending  into  the  fort.  Here  a  hand-to-hand  conflict  ensued. 
The  troops  fought  with  desperation,  and  were  able  to 
drive  the  enemy  from  one  side  of  the  work  to  seek  shelter 
between  the  traverses,  while  they  held  possession  for 
something  over  an  hour.  This  piece  of  gallantry  was  un- 
fortunately of  no  advantage.  The  enemy  rallied,  and, 
having  received  re-enforcements,  made  a  charge  upon 
them  and  expelled  them  from  their  position  by  the  force 
of  numbers.  One  of  the  regiments  engaged  in  this  bril- 
liant dash  was  the  Forty-eighth  New  York,  Colonel  Bar- 
ton, and  it  came  out  almost  decimated.  The  Forty-eighth 
was  among  the  first  to  enter  the  fort,  and  was  fired  upon 
by  a  regiment  that  gained  the  parapet  some  minutes 
later,  under  the  supposition  that  it  was  the  enemy. 
About  midnight  the  order  was  given  to  retire,  and  the 
troops  fell  back  to  the  rifle-pits  outside  of  their  own 
works.  The  loss  in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing  was 
fifteen  hundred  and  thirty. 

The  second  parallel  was  opened  by  the  flying  sap  on 
the  23d  July,  at  seven  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the 
fort.  The  third  parallel,  at  four  hundred  and  fifty  yards, 
on  August  9th  ;  and  beyond  this  point  the  trenches  were 
sometimes  pushed  forward  by  the  flying  sap,  sometimes 
by  the  full  sap,  as  opportunity  demanded.  The  fourth 
parallel,  at  about  three  hundred  yards,  was  made  on  the 
22d  and  23d  August.  The  fifth  parallel  at  two  hundred 
yards,  and  a  ridge  wrested  from  the  enemy,  August  26th. 
Beyond  this  point  the  approaches  were  simply  zigzags, 
making  very  acute  angles  with  each  other,  as  there  waa 
not  front  enough  for  a  parallel. 

The  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter  had  been  irregularly 
opened  on  the  18th  of  August,  and  was  continued  until 
August  24th,  when  Gillmore  reported  it  a  shapeless  mass 
of  ruins,  and  that  it  was  no  longer  necessary  to  continue 
the  bombardment.  Batteries  were  established  within 
eifective  range  of  Charleston,  and  notice  was  given  to 
General  Beauregard  to  evacuate  Fort  Sumter,  and  that 
Charleston  would  be  shelled.  Beauregard  protested,  and 
threatened  retaliation.  The  bombardment  was  com- 
menced, with  very  little  effect,  however,  on  military 
events.  Gillmore  now  moved  to  the  front  all  his  light 
mortars,  enlarged  the  positions  for  his  sharpshooters,  ob- 
tained the  co-operation  of  the  Ironsides  by  day,  used 


878  HISTOKY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 

powerful  calcium  lights  to  blind  the  enemy  by  night,  and 
opened  fire  with  as  many  heavy  guns  to  his  rear  as  he 
could  without  danger  to  his  men  in  the  trenches,  thus  es- 
saying to  keep  the  garrison  confined  to  their  bomb-proof, 
and  to  breach  this  through  a  breach  in  the  work.  These 
measures  were  inaugurated  on  the  morning  of  September 
5th,  and  for  forty-two  hours  the  fort  was  silent.  The  gar- 
rison were  immured  in  their  bomb-proof,  and  the  work 
went  on  in  safety  except  from  the  batteries  on  James's 
Island.  The  men  moved  about  in  the  trenches,  even  sat 
on  their  parapets,  and  hunted  torpedoes,  at  which  they 
had  become  as  skilful  as  rat-catchers  at  scenting  out  rat- 
holes.  The  counterscarp  of  the  work  was  crowned  on 
the  night  of  September  6th,  and  some  formidable  obstruc- 
tions in  the  ditch  removed.  All  being  now  ready  for  an 
assault,  the  order  for  it  was  given ;  but  seeing  the  hope- 
lessness of  their  position,  the  enemy  evacuated  just  in 
time  to  avoid  the  result. 

The  evacuation  was  thus  reported  by  Gillmore : — 

"  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  SOUTH,  HEAD-QUARTEBS  ix  ) 
THE  FIELD,  September  1,  1863.  ) 

"  Major-G-eneral  H.  W.  HALLECK,  General-in-Chief: 

"GENERAL: — I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  Fort  Wagner  and  Battery 
Gregg  are  ours.  Last  night  our  sappers  mined  the  counterscarp  of  Fort 
Wagner  on  its  sea  point,  unmasking  all  its  guns,  and  an  order  was  issued 
to  carry  the  place  by  assault  at  nine  o'clock  this  morning,  that  being  the 
hour  of  low  tide. 

"About  ten  o'clock  last  night  the  enemy  commenced  evacuating  the  isl- 
and, and  all  but  seventy-five  of  them  made  their  escape  from  Cummings's 
Point  in  small  boats. 

"  Captured  dispatches  show  that  Fort  Wagner  was  commanded  by  Co- 
lonel Keitt,  of  South  Carolina,  and  garrisoned  by  one  thousand  four  hun- 
dred effective  men,  and  Battery  Gregg  by  between  one  hundred  and  two 
hundred  men. 

"  Fort  Wagner  is  a  work  of'  the  most  formidable  kind.  Its  bomb-proof 
shelter,  capable  of  containing  one  thousand  eight  hundred  men,  remains 
intact  after  the  most  terrific  bombardment  to  which  any  work  was  ever 
subjected. 

"  We  have  captured  nineteen  pieces  of  artillery,  and  a  large  supply  of 
excellent  ammunition. 

"  The  city  and  harbor  of  Charleston  are  now  completely  covered  by  my 
guns. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  general,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient 
servant, 

"Q.  A.  GILLMORE,  Brigadier- General  Commanding.'11 

The  captured  forts  on  Morris  Island  were  enlarged  and 
new  batteries  erected  by  General  Gillmore,  which  effectu- 
ally commanded  Fort  Sumter,  and  could  aid  any  naval 


HI8TOEY   OF  THE   GEEAT  EEBELLION.  879 

attack  on  Charleston.  But  little  further  progress,  how- 
ever, was  made  in  the  siege  during  the  remainder,  of  the 
year.  The  forts  of  the  enemy  were  occasionally  bom- 
barded severely,  and  the  shelling  of  Charleston  at  inter- 
vals, during  day  and  night,  was  continued.  The  portion 
of  the  city  within  the  reach  of  the  shells  was  greatly  in- 
jured, and  entirely  abandoned  by  its  inhabitants.  An 
attempt  was  made  by  the  enemy  to  blow  up  the  frigate 
Ironsides,  with  a  torpedo,  on  the  night  of  October  5th. 
It  failed  of  success,  and  did  no  serious  damage  to  the 
vessel. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GKEAT  KEBELL10N. 


CHAPTER    XLIX. 

Advance  on  Richmond. — Crossing  of  the  Rapidan. — Routes  of  Corps. — 
The  Enemy  attempts  a  Flanking  Movement. — Meade's  Attack. — Repulse 
of  Griffin. — Hancock  Arrives. — Concentration  of  the  Army. — Burnside 
ordered  Forward. — New  Dispositions. — Advance  of  Hancock  on  the  6th. 
— Arrival  of  Longstreet. — Fall  of  "Wadsworth. — Longstreet  "Wounded. — 
Attack  on  the  Union  Right. — Results  of  the  Two  Days'  Fighting. 

THE  advance  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  against 
Richmond  commenced  on  the  evening  of  Tuesday,  May 
3d,  when  the  men,  provided  with  six  days'  rations,  broke 
up  camp,  and  marched  for  the  Rapidan.  The  Second 
Corps  crossed  at  Ely's  Ford,  and  the  Fifth  and  Sixth  at 
Germania  Ford,  the  Fifth  Corps  being  four  hours  in  ad- 
vance of  the  Sixth.  A  plankroad,  as  our  readers  will  re- 
member, runs  from  Fredericksburg  west,  past  Chancel- 
lorsville,  the  former  head-quarters  of  Hooker,  and  Old 
Wilderness  Tavern,  and  across  Mine  Run  to  Orange 
Court-House.  Hancock,  with  the  Second  Corps,  ad- 
vanced from  Ely's  Ford  to  Chancellorsville,  the  Fifth 
Corps  from  Germania  Ford  to  Old  Wilderness  Tavern, 
and  the  Sixth  held  the  road  from  the  ford  to  the  tavern. 
The  Lieutenant-General  and  General  Meade  had  head- 
quarters at  Germania  Ford  on  Wednesday  night,  the  4th. 
At  early  dawn  on  Thursday,  Hancock  was  to  move  by 
the  Pamunkey  road  in  a  southwesterly  direction  to  Shady 
Grove  Church  ;  Warren  was  to  move  five  miles  west  to 
Parker's  Store,  twenty  miles  distant  from  Orange  Court- 
House,  and  the  Sixth  Corps  was  to  follow  on  the  Ger- 
mania Ford  plankroad.  Sheridan's  Cavalry  was  to  scour 
the  country  on  the  left  of  Hancock.  This  disposition, 
if  carried  out,  would  have  straightened  the  army  in  a  line  • 
facing  southwest,  with  Hancock  on  the  left.  These  oper- 
ations were  intended  to  be  preserved  until  the  trains 
could  cross  the  river,  when  a  general  advance  was  to  be 
made  towards  Orange  Court-House,  the  presumed  base 
of  the  enemy. 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  881 

These  dispositions  were,  however,  not  suffered  to  be 
completed.  The  enemy,  from  his  signal  station  on  Clark's 
Mountain,  had  observed  the  whole  movement,  divined  its 
intent,  and  made  preparations  to  defeat  it.  His  move- 
ment began  on  Wednesday  night,  while  the  Second  Corps 
was  at  Chancellorsville.  The  corps  of  Ewell  moved 
along  the  turnpike  from  Old  Verdierville,  on  Mine  Run, 
to  take  the  Sixth  Corps  in  flank,  while  marching  along  the 
Germania  Ford  plankroad,  while  A.  P.  Hill  moved  over 
the  Orange  Court-House  plankroad,  which  runs  for  some 
distance  parallel  to  the  turnpike,  and  up  which  Warren 
was  advancing.  Thus,  as  we  have  said,  Grant's  army 
was  in  a  line  running  northwest  and  southeast ;  Sedgwick 
at  the  right  in  front  of  Ewell,  Warren  in  the  centre  in 
front  of  Hill,  but  not  yet  in  line,  and  Hancock  marching 
to  take  position  on  the  left.  The  enemy's  design  being 
ascertained,  Sedgwick  and  Warren  were  hastily  formed  in 
line  of  battle  on  the  Germania  plankroad,  and  Hancock 
was  ordered  to  diverge  upon  the  Brock  road,  which  would 
bring  him  upon  the  Orange  Court-House  road  in  the  rear 
of  Warren.  The  danger  was  that  Hill  would  force  his 
way  down  this  road  and  get  possession  of  it  before  Han- 
cock could  effect  a  junction,  and  thus  cut  the  army  in 
two.  To  guard  against  this,  the  Second  Division,  Getty, 
of  the  Sixth  Corps,  was  detached  to  support  Warren's 
left.  Meantime,  the  enemy  pressed  heavily  in  front,  and 
the  Fifth  New  York  Cavalry  was  driven  in  with  con- 
siderable loss. 

It  was  supposed  that  Lee  intended  by  a  fierce  attack 
upon  the  right  centre  to  destroy  the  army ;  and  to  frus- 
trate that  attempt  Warren  was  ordered  to  assume  the 
offensive.  About  noon,  Griffin  (who  had  reported  the- 
enemy  in  his  neighborhood,  and  as  having  driven  in 
his  advance,  consisting  of  the  Eighteenth  Massachusetts,, 
with  the  Eighty-third  r ennsylvania,  under  Colonel  Hayes, 
of  the  former)  was  ordered  to  push  his  (First)  Division  of 
the  Fifth  Corps  out  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  turnpike, 
to  feel  the  enemy.  Accordingly,  he  moved  Bartlett's 
Second  Brigade  to  the  left  of  the  road,  and  Ayres's  Third 
Brigade  of  regulars  to  the  right — Barnes's  First  Brigade 
(Sweetser  in  temporary  command)  being  in  reserve. 
Less  than  a  mile's  march,  stretching  across  the  turnpike, 
brought  them  against  a  part  of  Ewell's  force,  well  posted 
64  * 


882  HISTORY    OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

on  a  wooded  acclivity.  A  sharp  engagement  at  once 
ensued  for  an  hour ;  but  the  pressure  of  the  enemy  in  full 
strength  upon  our  two  brigades,  and  especially  upon 
Ayres's  on  the  left,  could  not  longer  be  resisted,  and  our 
forces  fell  back,  leaving  two  pieces  of  artillery,  with  nearly 
all  the  horses  killed,  in  the  enemy's  hands.  Wadsworth's 
Fourth  Division,  and  Robinson's  Second  Division,  of  the 
Fifth  Corps,  at  once  relieved  Griffin's  Division,  after 
its  well-fought  battle,  and  held  the  enemy  in  check. 
After  an  hour's  firing  by  infantry  and  artillery,  the  enemy 
moved  off  to  another  point  in  our  line.  Our  loss,  princi- 
pally confined  to  Ayres's  and  Bartlett's  Brigades,  was  in 
the  region  of  one  thousand  men. 

At  eleven  o'clock,  word  was  sent  to  General  Sedgwick 
that  skirmishing  in  front  of  the  Sixth  Corps  was  becom- 
ing heavy.  He  accordingly  galloped  down  the  Germania 
plankroad  about  a  mile,  dashed  into  the  forest  at  the 
head  of  his  staff,  and  penetrated  to  the  front  through  the 
tangled  underbrush  and  knotted  trunks  and  ragged  foliage 
of  a  thick  chapparal.  Through,  and  beyond  this,  far  in 
front,  the  deep  occasional  boom  of  a  gun  might  be  heard 
amid  the  quickening  rattle  of  the  skirmish  firing,  but  the 
denseness  of  the  wood  prevented  any  knowledge  of  what 
was  going  on  at  any  distance.  There  was  a  volley  at 
last — General  Griffin's  Division  of  the  Fifth  Coq)8  had 
opened  the  fight. 

"Forward  !  In/ the  right  flank,  forward!"  rings  along 
the  lines.  Yonder  in  front  are  the  gleaming  bayonets  of 
our  first  line  of  battle;  back,  just  in  rear,  is. the  second 
line,  the  anxious  eyes  of  the  soldiers  peering  through  the 
trees. 

And  through  a  thicket  blind  and  almost  interminable, 
over  abatis  of  fallen  trees,  through  swamps  and  ditches 
and  brush-heaps,  and  once — a  glorious  breathing-space — 
across  a  half-acre  of  open  field,  the  obedient  troops  move 
on.  The  "  bizz  "  of  the  balls,  which  had  been  occasional, 
now  comes  thicker  and  faster,  while  the  crashing  volleys 
are  more  distinct ;  and  as  the  advancing  lines  approach  a 
forest,  a  little  way  ahead,  there  is  heard  a  crackling,  roar- 
ing tumult,  mingled  with  wild  cheers. 

The  Fifth  Corps  has  begun  the  fight  in  earnest — Griffin 
is  pressing  on.  W  adsworth  and  Robinson  and  Crawford 
are  going  in :  the  latter,  on  the  left,  supported  by  Getty, 


HISTORY   OF  THE   QEEAT   REBELLION.  883 

is  advancing  .towards  the  enemy  at  Parker's  Store.  Be- 
hind Crawford  and  Getty,  who  are  on  the  Orange  Court- 
Ekmse  road,  is  the  junction  of  that  and  the  Brock  road, 
up  which,  from  the  direction  of  Chancellorsville,  Hancock 
is  advancing  to  make  connection.  That  is  the  vital 
point — that  junction  ;  to  be  held  against  all  odds  unto  the 
death,  else  the  army  is  severed.  To  hold  the  enemy 
all  along  the  line  in  check,  to  prevent  his  massing  any 
forces  in  our  front  upon  that  point,  the  Fifth  Corps 
is  pressing  on,  and  the  Sixth  Corps  is  about  to  enter. 

It  was  at  this  moment  that  Griffin  fell  back,  and  Craw- 
ford's Division,  that  had  been  sent  forward  to  Parker's 
Store,  retreated  with  loss.  Hancock,  who,  in  obedience 
to  orders,  had  checked  his  advance,  was  rapidly  marching 
across  to  close  the  gap  in  the  line  of  battle.  He  arrived 
in  season — but  with  no  time  to  spare — and  found  the 
advance  of  the  enemy  already  inserting  themselves  in  the 
interval.  Getty's  Division,  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  had  been 
temporarily  detached  and  moved  to  the  left,  to  the  right 
of  the  Orange  Court-House  plankroad.  The  advance, 
the  First  Brigade,  of  Mott's  Fourth  Division  of  the  Seconjd 
Corps,  had  barely  formed  junction  with  Getty,  when  A. 
P.  Hill  was  upon  them  with  great  force. 

Birney  formed  on  Getty's  right,  Mott  and  Barlow 
on  the  left  of  the  line,  and  Gibbons's  Division  was  held  in 
reserve.  The  enemy  were  checked,  but  their  concentra- 
tion continued.  Troops'  were  sent  to  the  left  from  the 
Fifth  Corps,  and  by  four  o'clock  Hancock  was  in  com- 
mand of  half  the  army  in  action. 

And  now,  from  left  to  right  the  sound  of  the  shock  of 
battle  arises  anew.  To  relieve  the  pressure  upon  the 
Second  Corps,  an  advance  of  the  whole  line  is  necessary. 
Hancock  is  advancing,  Sedgwick  is  advancing,  Warren  is 
preparing.  Like  a  great  engine,  dealing  death,  the  Second 
Corps  and  its  supporters  move  forward,  taking  equal 
death  in  return.  Companies  fall,  regiments  are  thinned, 
brigades  melt  away.  Stricken  in  the  head  by  a  bullet, 
General  Alexander  Hayes,  commanding  the  Second  Bri- 
gade of  Birney's  Division,  has  rolled  from  his  horse,  dead. 
General  Getty  is  wounded  ;  Colonel  Carroll,  commanding 
the  Third  Brigade  of  the  Second  Division,  is  wounded ;  a 
host  of  line  officers  are  stricken  low;  the  enemy  fights 
like  a  demon,  but  the  fight  moves  on. 


884:  HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT  EEBELLION. 

Sedgwick  moves  on,  breaking  the  enemy's  line  for 
a  moment,  and  taking  four  or  five  hundred  prisoners. 
There  are  ripples  of  disaster  on  all  the  line,  but  they  are 
quickly  repaired.  Slowly,  for  the  enemy  is  stubborn; 
slower  yet  on  the  extreme  right  towards  the  river,  for  the 
enemy  there  has  massed  another  force  and  strives  to 
break  our  flank.  He  finds  a  rock,  and,  though  he  checks 
our  advance,  though  hundreds  of  soldiers  sink  in  death 
before  him,  he  does  not  come  on. 

And  as  the  day  dies,  and  the  darkness  creeps  up  from 
the  west,  although  no  cheer  of  victory  swells  through  the 
Wilderness  from  either  side,  we  have  accomplished  this 
much  at  least,  with  much  sore  loss  :  the  concentration  of 
our  army,  the  holding  of  the  junction  of  the  Orange 
Court-House  and  Brock  roads,  the  turning  back  of  the 
enemy's  right  flank  from  our  path  towards  Richmond,  and 
the  average  gain  of  a  half-mile  of  ground. 

In  some  respects,  however,  we  had  gained  decided  ad- 
vantages. First,  General  Grant  had  learned  the  position 
and  strength  of  Lee's  army — a  knowledge  of  the  greatest 
'value.  Second,  he  had  been  able  to  gather  his  troops 
well  in  hand,  putting  them  into  a  more  substantial  line 
than  at  the  opening  of  the  engagement.  Finally,  there 
was  no  longer  any  doubt  as  to  the  policy  of  calling  Gen- 
eral Burnside  from  the  farther  side  of  the  river — the 
enemy's  force  being  obviously  all  in  our  front.  The 
o^inth  Corps,  under  General  Burnside,  came  to  the  field 
of  battle  on  Thursday,  after  a  forced  march,  and  was  dis- 
tributed, as  occasion  required,  on  the  right,  right  centre, 
and  left  centre.  But  our  line  remained  substantially 
as  during  the  day,  stretching  northwest  and  southeast 
over  a  line  nearly  parallel  to  that  from  Germania  Ford  to 
Chancellorsville,  and  with  head-quarters  not  much  in  ad- 
vance of  the  Wilderness. 

The  enemy  had  intrenched  himself  in  our  front  On  an 
extended  ridge,  approachable  only  through  a  thickly- 
wooded  swamp  of  considerable  width,  protected  by  a  front 
and  flank  fire ;  and  during  the  night  the  sound  of  axes 
showed  that  he  was  engaged  upon  new  defences. 

The  Union  troops  were  consolidated  and  posted  anew, 
the  three  corps  retaining  their  respective  positions — War- 
ren in  the  centre,  Sedgwick  on  the  right,  Hancock  on  the 
left,  the  latter  still  having  the  lion's  share  of  troops, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT  REBELLION.  885 

gathered  from  all  the  corps.  On  the  extreme  right 
of  Sedgwick,  and  nearest  the  river,  was  Shaler's  Fourth 
Brigade  of  the  First  Division,  and  in  succession  to  the 
left  came  Seymour's,  Neill's,  Upton's,  Russell's,  and 
Smith's.  Warren's  Corps  prolonged  the  line  through  the 
forest  and  across  the  Locust  Grove  road  to  within  half  a 
mile  of  the  Orange  Court-House  road.  Across  this  road 
and  far  to  the  left  the  troops  led  by  Hancock  were 
disposed — Carroll's  and  Hayes's  (now  Crocker's)  Bri- 
gades on  the  right,  and  Ward's  and  Owens's  Brigades 
on  the  left  of  the  thoroughfare.  The  three  brigades  of 
Getty's  Division  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  commanded  by 
Eustis,  Wheaton,  and  Grant,  were  in  support.  Mott's 
Division  of  the  Second  Corps  adjoined  on  the  left — the 
whole  left  of  this  line  being  under  command  of  Birney. 
The  divisions  of  Gibbons  and  Barlow  formed  the  left 
of  the  line,  under  command  of  Gibbons.  Our  cavalry 
were  operating  still  farther  on  the  left,  and  the  left  flank 
of  the  army  was  for  the  first  time  in  a  position  strongly 
supported  by  artillery. 

The  Second  Corps  had  strongly  intrenched  itself  on  the 
Brock  road  with  logs  and  abatis,  and  the  rest  of  the  line 
was  protected  by  light  earthworks.  The  weak  point 
in  the  line  was  a  gap  between  the  centre  and  left,  to  stop 
which  a  part  of  Burnside's  Corps  was  sent  forward. 
This  was  not  done  without  much  delay  that  was  nearly 
fatal  to  the  army.  Orders  were  issued  for  both  Sedgwick 
on  the  extreme  right  and  Hancock  on  the  left  to  attack 
at  five  A.  M.  on  the  morning  of  Friday,  May  6th.  The 
enemy,  however,  made  an  attack  twenty  minutes  earlier, 
but  without  much  vigor.  He  was  repulsed  by  the  Sixth 
Corps,  which  gained  a  few  hundred  yards  without  any 
material  advantage. 

Meantime,  Hancock,  at  five  o'clock,  moved  to  the 
attack  with  such  vigor,  that  by  eleven  o'clock  he  had 

§ained  a  mile  of  ground  from  Brock  road  towards  Parker's 
tore,  and  had  got  possession  of  some  of  the  enemy's  rifle- 
pits.  This  advance  increased  the  gap  between  the  Second 
and  Fifth  Corps,  and  Burnside's  men  were  still  absent. 
Hancock  had  in  his  front  the  divisions  of  Heth  and  Wil- 
cox,  of  Hill's  Corps,  which  had  suffered  greatly  on 
the  previous  day,  and  were  to  have  been  relieved  at  night. 
They  stood  gallantly  for  a  while ;  but  at  last,  shrinking 


886  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

before  the  compact  masses  hurled  upon  them,  they  com- 
menced a  retreat,  which  from  a  walk  grew  into  a  run, 
from  a  run  into  a  demoralized  rout.  At  this  moment  the 
corps  which  Longstreet  had  so  long  led  advanced  along 
the  plankroad.  into  their  leading  files  dashed  at  head- 
long speed  and  in  wild  disarray  the  broken  ranks  of  Heth 
and  Wilcox,  mingled  with  field-pieces,  ambulances,  cais- 
sons, runaway  horses,  and  shouting  officers  striving  to 
bear  up  against  the  rout,  but  whirled  along  in  its  resist- 
less current.  Beside  the  road  was  General  Lee,  irritated 
and  excited  beyond  precedent,  eager  to  stem  the  torrent  of 
flight  by  catching  hold  of  any  organized  body  of  men  and 
launching  them  in  person  against  the  head  of  the  Federal 
advance.  Upon  this  hurly-burly  of  confusion  and  alarm 
supervened  at  the  most  critical  moment  Longstreet  and 
his  Corps.  This  fresh  body  of  troops,  with  Kershaw's 
Division  in  advance,  came  forward  upon  the  exhausted 
Federal  troops  in  such  force,  overlapping  the  left,  that  the 
Third  Brigade,  Colonel  Frank,  broke  and  fled  back. 
The  pressure  was  so  great  along  the  whole  line  of  the 
command  thus  assaulted,  that  it  was  also  broken  in  several 
places.  Portions  of  the  front  line  retreated  in  disorder. 
Officers  who  commanded  there,  commanded  in  some 
instances  troops  not  their  own,  and  of  whose  fighting 
qualities  they  knew  nothing.  Those  officers  did  their 
best,  but  could  not  stem  the  panic.  General  "Wadsworth,* 

galloping,  appealing,  commanding,  fell   dead  from    his 
orse  in  the  front  of  the  battle,  deserted  by  more  than  half 
his  troops. 

The  line  fell  back  before  the  advancing  rebels,  and  the 
ground  whence  Heth  and  Wilcox  had  been  forced  once 

*  James  Samuel  Wadsworth  was  born  in  Geneseo,  New  York,  October 
30th,  1807,  was  educated  at  Harvard  and  Yale  Colleges,  and  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1833.  But  having  inherited  an  immense  landed  estate  in  Western 
New  York,  he  devoted  himself  chiefly  to  its  improvement.  He  was  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Republican  party  from  the  period  of  its  formation, 
and  a  commissioner  to  the  Peace  Conference  at  Washington  in  1861.  He 
embarked  heartily  in  the  cause  of  the  Union,  was  appointed  brigadier-gen- 
eral of  volunteers,  August,  1861,  and  in  March,  1862,  became  Military  Gov- 
ernor of  Washington.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  was  the  Union  candidate 
for  Governor  of  New  York,  but  was  defeated  by  Horatio  Seymour.  As 
commander  of  a  division  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  he  fought  with  repu- 
tation at  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  and  Gettysburg,  and  fell  at  the 
head  of  the  Fourth  Division  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilder- 
ness, May  6th,  1864,  as  described  in  the  text. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GEEAT  BEEELLION".  887 

more  passed  into  their  hands.  Hancock's  whole  force  re- 
tired behind  the  line  intrenched  the  day  before  on  the 
Brock  road.  In  this  encounter  the  enemy  lost  General 
Jenkins  killed,  and  General  Longstreet  wounded.  The 
circumstances  under  which  the  latter  was  injured  were 
thus  described  by  a  Southern  spectator  :  "At  this  moment 
(the  retreat  of  Hancock)  Longstreet,  after  brief  consultation 
with  General  Lee,  suggested  a  flank  movement  not  dis- 
similar to  that  by  which,  twelvemonths  before,  the  bloody 
day  of  Ohancellorsville  was  decided  by  Jackson.  It  was 
commenced :  the  promise  of  the  first  movement  was 
richly  encouraging.  Generals  Longstreet  and  Jenkins 
rode  in  great  glee  with  their  staff  along  the  plankroad, 
when  one  of  those  unforeseen  accidents  which  are  insepa- 
rable from  war,  and  doubly  hazardous  with  undisciplined 
troops,  checked  in  an  instant  all  laughter  and  merriment. 
A  volley  at  short  range,  issuing  from  Mahone's  Brigade 
of  Confederates  as  they  poured  obliquely  through  the  tan- 
gled undergrowth  of  the  Wilderness,  struck  Longstreet's 
little  party  like  a  white  squall ;  General  Jenkins  sprang 
high  from  his  saddle  and  fell  dead  with  a  bullet  through 
his  brain ;  Longstreet  himself  lay  stretched  in  the  road 
pulseless  and  inanimate,  and,  as  all  thought,  with  but  few 
minutes  of  life  left  in  him.  Instantly  the  flank  movement 
was  arrested.  About  an  hour  later,  Longstreet,  awaking 
from  his  swoon,  exclaimed  to  Dr.  Cullen :  '  In  another 
half  hour,  but  for  my  wound,  there  would  not  have  been 
a  Yankee  regiment  standing  and  unbroken  on  the  south 
of  the  Kapidan.' "  It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  this 
took  place  very  near  the  spot  where  "  Stonewall "  Jack- 
son, a  year  previous,  lost  his  life  by  a  similar  mistake  of 
his  own  men.  « 

A  comparative  lull  occurred  at  noon,  and  our  forces 
took  the  opportunity  it  afforded  to  draw  up  and  concen- 
trate their  lines,  interposing  the  greater  part  of  Burnside's 
Ninth  Corps  between  Hancock  and  Warren.  The  left 
also  was  brought  forward  a  little  from  the  Brock  road,  to 
which  it  had  been  driven,  towards  the  centre.  Hardly 
had  these  fortunate  dispositions  been  made,  when  again, 
in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  the  enemy  fell  upon  our 
left  and  centre  with  great  fury,  and  again  pushed  them 
back.  At  the  junction  of  the  left  and  centre  the  attack 
was  particularly  severe,  Crawford's  Third  Division  of  the 


888  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

Fifth  Corps,  Carr's  Fourth  Division  of  the  Second  Corps, 
and  Stephenson's  Division  of  the  Ninth  Corps  suffering 
its  brunt.  The  latter  division,  on  Hancock's  right,  giving 
way  overpowered,  the  enemy  rushed  through  the  gap. 
Hancock  then  dispatched  Carroll's  Third  Brigade,  Second 
Division  of  the  Second  Corps,  to  sweep  along  the  whole 
line  and  attack  the  enemy  in  flank.  The  manoeuvre  was 
most  gallantly  and  successfully  executed,  the  enemy  re- 
tiring with  much  loss,  and  our  troops  gradually  gaining 
their  old  alignment.  The  left  and  centre  of  the  army, 
thus  having  attacked  and  been  attacked  throughout  the 
day,  stood  firm  at  last — the  field  and  forest  floor  before 
it  and  around  it  strewn  with  its  and  the  enemy's  dead, 
and  throbbing  with  its  wounded.  It  had  taken  in  the 
course  of  the  day  many  prisoners ;  it  held  a  larger  part  of 
the  field  than  that  occupied  in  the  morning;  its  losses 
were  severe. 

The  resolute  and  persevering  enemy  was  not  yet  at  rest, 
however,  but  now  massed  his  troops  for  a  final  rush  at  the 
extreme  right,  where  were  posted  the  commands  of  Shaler 
and  Seymour.  On  the  extreme  right,  towards  the  river, 
a  dark  column  wound  its  way  out  of  the  breastworks  of 
the  enemy,  through  the  thick  forests  towards  our  right 
flank,  moving  with  such  deliberation  that  a  working  par- 
ty was  enabled  to  throw  up  a  slight  earthwork  between 
themselves  and  our  troops.  A  supporting  column  formed 
behind  this  work.  Between  six  and  seven  p.  M.,  the 
attack  burst  with  resistless  force  upon  the  troops  of 
Shaler  and  Seymour,  who  were  mostly  captured,  with 
their  commanders,  a  few  only  escaping  to  Germania  Ford. 
This  disaster  on  the  right  exposed  the  whole  army  to  im- 
minent peril.  Amid  the  panic,  however,  are  seen  Sedg- 
wick  and  the  officers  upon  his  staff  building  up  order  out 
of  the  ruin.  The  grand  old  commander — his  hat  off,  his 
bridle  dropped,  a  pistol  in  one  hand  and  a  sword  in  the 
other — is  an  assurance  of  safety  preventing  further  panic. 
The  enemy  come  on,  but  to  no  further  conquest.  For 
there  is  a  line  of  steel  which  cannot  be  broken — Neill's 
Brigade.  Against  it,  as  a  billow  against  a  rock,  the  ex- 
ultant masses  of  the  enemy  fall  and  break,  and  are  thrown 
back,  and  retire. 

The  disaster  to  the  extreme  right  of  "the  Sixth  Corps 
was  of  a  serious  character,  and  might  have  proved  fatal 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GKEAT  REBELLION.  889 

had  the  enemy  been  in  a  condition  to  follow  up  his  ad- 
vantage. But  so  dearly  was  the  advantage  gained  that 
their  effort  to  thrust  themselves  between  us  and  the  Ger- 
mania  Ford  was  left  unprosecuted,  even  when  it  was  near- 
est being  successful.  Artillery,  however,  had  been  posted 
to  command  the  column  of  rebels,  in  case  it  should  burst 
through  and  over  the  right  flank  of  our  army.  Onr  losses 
in  this  wing  fell  little  below  six  thousand,  of  which  four 
thousand,  probably,  occurred  during  the  enemy's  assault. 
Our  losses  in  the  Second  Corps  ranged  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  three  thousand.  And  our  total  losses  in  the  two 
days'  fighting  were  not  far  from  fifteen  thousand  men. 
Those  of  the  enemy  were  probably  no  less  severe.  In 
these  battles  there  was  an  unusual  proportion  of  wounded 
among  the  casualties,  arising  from  the  fact  that  so  little 
artillery  was  used  on  either  side.  Among  our  general 
•  officers  killed  in  the  two  battles  were  Hayes  and  Wads- 
worth  ;  and  on  the  rebel  side,  Jones  and  Jenkins,  with 
Longstreet,  Pegram,  and  Hunter  severely  wounded. 

It  is  remarkable  that  in  the  official  dispatches  on  both 
sides,  including  those  of  our  Secretary  of  War  and  of 
General  Lee,  each  army  claimed  to  have  "  repelled  the 
fierce  attack  of  the  enemy,"  rather  than  to  have  ini- 
tiated the  attack.  At  all  events,  it  seems  clear  that  both 
armies  designed  the  attack.  On  Tuesday  our  forces  un- 
doubtedly moved  out  to  find  the  enemy,  and  discovered 
him  advancing  to  oppose  us.  In  like  manner,  it  is  cer- 
tain that  an  attack  both  on  the  right  and  left  was  ordered 
for  our  forces  at  five  A.  M.  on  Friday. "  On  the  left  it  was 
made,  but  on  the  right  it  was  anticipated  by  the  enemy, 
who  had  the  same  intent,  but  had  set  the. time  of  execu- 
tion a  few  minutes  earlier  than  we.  The  same  mutual 
disposition  to  attack  reappeared  more  than  once  during 
the  day,  and  with  marked  emphasis  in  the  afternoon,  and 
at  the  attack  on  Hancock.  It  may  be  added,  that  this 
terrific  infantry  contest  of  Friday  closed  on  a  disputed 
field,  neither  army  having  gained  great  advantage,  and 
friend  and  foe  lying  side  by  side  over  a  broad  stretch  of 
territory  in  attestation  of  the  equal  fortune  of  the  day. 
General  Grant  held  substantially  the  same  line  as  on 
Thursday  evening,  but  he  had  strengthened  it  on  the 
left.  During  the  night,  preparations  were  made  to 
strengthen  the  right  also,  and  to  repair  the  disaster  which. 


890  HISTOEY   OF   THE   GEEAT  EEBELLION. 

the  enemy's  last  charge  had  wrought  on  that  flank.  Ex- 
cept for  this  work,  the  night  was  comparatively  quiet, 
our  army  lying  silently  along  their  hasty  lines  of  rifle-pits, 
and  the  rebels  still  keeping  their  more  formidable  in- 
trenchments  on  the  edge  of  the  woods,  while  the  interven- 
ing space  so  often  fought  o\jer  was  held  by  the  dead  and 
wounded  of  both  combatants. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  891 


CHAPTEK    L. 

Movement  upon  Spottsylvania. — The  Enemy  on  the  Alert. — Attack  of  M ay 
10th. — Death  of  Sedgvvick. — Position  of  the  Troops. — Grant  "to  Fight  it 
out  on  that  Line." — Assault  by  the  Second  Corps  on  May  12th. — Large 
Captures  of  Prisoners  and  Guns. — Results  of  the  Struggle. — Sheridan's 
Cavalry  Raid. — Death  of  General  Stuart. — Battle  at  Meadow  Bridge. — 
Sheridan  at  the  James  River. 

THE  morning  of  Saturday,  May  7th,  opened  with  an 
interchange  of  shot  and  shell.  The  right  wing  had  been 
protected  and  strengthened  in  view  of  renewed  attack. 
The  morning  wore  away,  however,  with  nothing  of  more 
importance  than  skirmishing.  About  noon  a  rather 
vigorous  demonstration  was  made  against  our  centre,  and 
repelled  by  a  portion  of  the  Fifth  Corps  and  a  battery 
which  obtained  position  in  the  woods.  E-econnoissances 
in  the  afternoon  discovered  that  the  main  body  of  the 
enemy  had  fallen  back  some  distance.  Preparations  were 
at  once  made  for  a  further  advance,  but  in  view  of  the 
exertions  of  the  last  few  days,  a  brief  respite  for  rest  was 
allowed.  The  following  passage,  written  by  an  eye-wit- 
ness, gives  a  graphic  description  of  the  scene  at  head- 
quarters at  this  moment :  "  The  lieutenant-general  here, 
at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  one  leg  of  his  trowsers  slipped  above 
his  boots,  his  hands  limp,  his  coat  in  confusion,  his  sword 
equipments  sprawling  on  the  ground ;  not  even  the  weight 
of  sleep  erasing  that  persistent  expression  of  the  lip  which 
held  a  constant  promise  of  something  to  be  done.  And 
there,  at  the  foot  of  another  tree,  is  General  Meade — a 
military  hat,  with  the  rim  turned  down  about  his  ears, 
tapping  his  scabbard  with  his  fingers,  and  gazing  abstract- 
edly into  the  depths  of  the  earth  through  eye-glasses  that 
should  become  historic.  General  Humphreys,  chief  of 
staff — a  spectacled,  iron-gray,  middle-aged  officer,  of  a 
pleasant  smile  and  manner,  who  wears  his  trowsers  below, 
after  the  manner  of  leggins,  and  is  in  all  things  independ- 
ent and  serene,  paces  yonder  to  and  fro.  That  rather 


892  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION. 

thick-set  officer,  with  closely-trimmed  whiskers,  and  the 
kindest  of  eyes,  who  never  betrays  a  harsh  impatience  to 
any  comer,  is  Adjutant-General  Williams.  General  Hunt, 
chief  of  artillery,  a  hearty-faced,  frank-handed  man,  whose 
black  hair  and  whiskers  have  the  least  touch  of  time, 
lounges  at  the  foot  of  another  tree,  holding  lazy  converse 
with  one  or  two  members  of  his  staff.  General  Ingalls, 
chief  quartermaster  of  the  army,  than  whom  no  more  im- 
perturbable, efficient,  or  courteous  presence  is  here,  plays 
idly  and  smilingly  with  a  riding-whip,  tossing  a  telling 
word  or  two  hither  and  thither.  Stan  officers  and  order- 
lies and  horses  thickly  strew  the  grove." 

Amid  these  reposing  men  drops  an  occasional  shell  from 
the  enemy,  and  as  the  day  draws  to  a  close  there  are 
signs  of  renewed  activity.  At  dusk  an  order  was  issued 
for  the  whole  army  to  move  towards  Spottsylvania  Court- 
House,  via  Todd's  Tavern.  The  Fifth  Corps  marched  in 
advance,  the  Sixth  Corps  next,  Hancock  and  Burnside 
following.  The  Sixth  Corps  marched  on  the  Chancellors- 
ville  road,  reaching  Piney  Branch  Church  towards  the 
latter  part  of  Sunday  forenoon,  the  8th.  A  part  of  our 
troops  stretched  across  and  occupied  Fredericksburg,  the 
Twenty-second  New  Yerk  Cavalry  entering  that  city  at 
eight  o'clock  on  Saturday  evening.  A  depot  for  our 
wounded  was  established  there,  and  a  basis  for  supplies 
arranged.  Hancock's  and  Burnside's  Corps  pressed  on, 
on  Saturday  night,  resuming  the  chase  again  at  daylight 
on  Sunday  morning,  and  camping  at  noon  twenty  miles 
away  southerly  from  the  Old  W  ilderness  battle-field.  The 
Fifth  Corps,  remaining  till  dark  on  the  battle-ground, 
marched  all  Saturday  night,  though  exhausted  by  the 
events  of  the  four  days  and  nights  preceding,  taking  the 
Brock  road  past  Todd's  Tavern,  towards  Spottsylvania. 

Meanwhile  the  enemy's  cavalry  was  on  the  alert,  and 
Stuart  reported  to  Lee  that  Grant  had  resumed  his  flank 
movement,  and  that  under  cover  of  the  thick  woods  he 
was  throwing  a  force  forward  in  the  direction  of  Spottsyl- 
vania Court-House,  on  the  direct  road  to  Kichmond.  Or- 
ders were  immediately  issued  for  Anderson's  Corps  (late 
Longstreet's)  to  march  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night  for  that 
place,  and  preparations  were  immediately  made  to  put 
the  whole  army  in  motion  for  the  same  destination  on 
the  following  day.  The  distance  from  the  battle-field, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  893 

which  is  near  the  western  boundary  of  Spottsylvania 
County,  to  the  Court-House,  is  fifteen  miles.  Warren's 
Corps  left  the  Wilderness  Tavern  with  Bartlett's  Brigade 
in  the  advance  as  skirmishers.  These  pushed  forward 
with  confidence,  but  incautiously  advancing,  when  near 
Spottsylvania  Court-House,  beyond  the  main  body,  were 
assailed  by  a  heavy  fire  and  driven  back  with  severe  loss. 
General  Robinson  fell,  wounded  in  the  leg.  A  line  of 
battle  was  then  formed,  with  Griffin  on  the  right,  Robin- 
son on  the  left,  and  on  his  left  Crawford's  and  Wads- 
worth's  (now  Cutler's)  Divisions.  The  troops  in  the  rear 
were  brought  up,  and  a  portion  of  the  Sixth  Corps  formed 
on  the  right.  Meantime,  Ewell's  Corps  had  joined  Long- 
street's  (now  Anderson's)  at  Spottsylvania  Court-House, 
where  Lee  had  succeeded  in  throwing  his  army  in  ad- 
vance of  Grant's  movement  to  the  same  place.  Hill's 
Corps  had  not  yet  arrived,  but  was  hourly  expected. 

These  events  of  the  7th  were  officially  given  to  the 
public  as  follows : —  •. 

"  WASHINGTON,  Monday,  May  9 — 4.  p.  M. 

"A  bearer  of  dispatches  from  General  Meade's  head-quarters  has  just 
reached  here.  He  states  that  Lee's  Army  commenced  falling  back  on  the 
night  of  Friday.  Our  army  commenced  the  pursuit  on  Saturday.  The 
rebels  were  in  full  retreat  for  Richmond  by  the  direct  road.  IRmcock 
passed  through  Spottsylvania  Court-House,  at  daylight  yesterday.  Our 
head-quarters  at  noon  yesterday  were  twenty  miles  south  of  the  battle- 
field. We  occupy  Fredericksburg.  The  Twenty-second  New  York  Cav- 
alry occupied  that  place  at  eight  o'clock 'last  night.  The  depot  for  our 
wounded  is  established  at  Fredericksburg. 

"EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War." 

Sunday  night,  the  8th,  found  the  Union  army  intrench- 
ed, facing  the  enemy  northwest  of  Spottsylvania  Court- 
House  in  an  irregular  line.  Monday  the  9th,  was  occu- 
pied by  the  two  armies  in  getting  into  position  and  pre- 
paring for  battle.  There  was  more  or  less  skirmishing 
throughout  the  day,  and  some  artillery  firing,  which  be- 
gan at  dawn.  There  were  some  changes  in  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  troops.  The  enemy's  sharpshooters  were  very 
busy,  depriving  the  Union  army  of  many  a  valuable  offi- 
cer. General  W.  H.  Morris,  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  and 
numbers  of  others  were  killed  or  wounded.  The  most 
severe  loss  was  that  of  General  Sedgwick,*  who,  accom- 

*  John  Sedgwick  was  born  in  Connecticut,  about  1815,  and  graduated  at 
"West  Point  in  1837.  He  was  brevetted  captain  and  major  for  gallant  con- 


894  HISTORY   OF  THE   GKEAT  BEBELLION. 

panied  by  his  staff,  had  walked  out  to  the  advanced  line 
of  breastworks  occupied  by  his  men.  A  constant  hum 
of  bullets  about  this  place  caused  the  soldiers  in  the  works 
to  dodge  and  duck  their  heads.  The  general  smiled  at 
them  good-naturedly.  He  had  a  winning  smile.  Finally, 
one  bullet  hummed  so  near  a  soldier  that  he  dropped 
down  upon  his  face.  General  Sedgwick  touched  him 
with  his  foot  in  humorous  disdain. 

"  Pooh,  pooh,  man  !  Who  ever  heard  of  a  soldier  dodg- 
ing a  bullett  ?  Why,  they  couldn't  hit  an  elephant  at  that 
distance." 

There  was  a  laugh  at  this,  even  though  the  straggling 
shot  yet  hummed  unpleasantly  around.  The  general 
was  still  smiling  over  the  banter,  when  Colonel  McMahon 
heard  the  buzz  of  a  bullet  culminate  in  what  seemed  an 
explosion  close  beside  him. 

"That  must  have  been  an  explosive  bullet,  general." 

No  answer.  But  as  the  face  of  General  Sedgwick 
slightly  turned  towards  the  officer  at  his  side,  a  sad  smile 
was  upon  it.  Another  moment,  and  the  form  of  the  gen- 
eral fell  helplessly  backward.  It  was  caught  by  Colonel 
McMahon  as  it  fell.  A  ball  had  entered  the  face,  just 
belmv  the  left  eye,  pierced  the  brain,  and  passed  out  at 
the  back  of  the  head.  He  never  spoke  afterwards,  though 
he  breathed  softly  for  a  while. 

On  Tuesday,  our  forces  at  dawn  occupied  a  line  stretch- 
ing out  a  length  of  about  six  miles  on  the  northern  bank 

•duct  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  at  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  held  the 
position  of  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Second  United  States  Cavalry.  He 
was  soon  after  promoted  to  the  colonelcy  of  the  Fourth  Cavalry,  and  on 
August  31st  was  commissioned  a  brigadier-general  of  volunteers.  As  com- 
mander of  the  Third  Division  of  Sumner'g  Corps,  he  participated  in  the 
Peninsular  campaign,  and  particularly  distinguished  himself  at  Fair  Oaks. 
He  was  wounded  at  Antietam,  was  promoted  in  December,  1862,  to  be  a 
major-general  of  volunteers,  and  in  February,  1863,  took  command  of  the 
Sixth  Army  Corps.  During  the  Chancellorsville  campaign,  he  stormed  and 
captured  Marye's  Heights,  in  the  rear  of  Fredericksburg,  and  subsequently, 
after  hard  fighting  against  overwhelming  numbers,  succeeded  in  crossing 
the  Rappahanock  with  his  command.  He  had  an  honorable  share  in  the 
Gettysburg  campaign,  and  in  November,  1863,  was  publicly  thanked  by 
General  Meade  for  a  well-executed  manoeuvre  on  the  Rapidan,  by  which  we 
captured  a  whole  rebel  division,  with  several  guns  and  colors.  He  died  in 
the  manner  described  in  the  text,  leaving  a  reputation  as  a  brave,  judicious, 
and  accomplished  officer,  second  to  that  of  no  man  in  the  army.  He  sev- 
eral times  held  temporary  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and 
more  than  once  declined  the  supreme  command. 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  895 

of  the  Po,  and  taking  the  general  form  of  a  crescent,  the 
wings  being  thrown  forward  ;  the  Second  .Corps  held  the 
right  wing,  and  the  Sixth  the  left.  The  preceding  night, 
Hancock  had  succeeded  in  crossing  the  Po,  and  now  held 
a  line  on  the  right,  nearly  parallel  to  the  road  from  Shady 
Grove  Church  to  the  Court-House.  "Warren  held  the 
centre,  being  on  the  east  side  of  the  Po ;  and  Wright, 
who  had  succeeded  Sedgwick  in  the  command  of  the  Sixth 
Corps,  the  left,  facing  towards  the  Court-House.  Farther 
out  on  the  left  was  Burnside's  Ninth  Corps,  which,  un- 
known to  himself,  and  fortunately  unknown  to  the  ene- 
my, was  disconnected  from  its  supports,  and  in  a  very 
dangerous  position.  Arnold's,  Rodger's  Sleeper's,  and 
other  batteries  covered  our  right ;  Meade's,  Martin's,  and 
others  our  left  centre.  In  our  front  was  a  dense  forest. 
The  enemy,  still  held  Spottsylvania  and  the  region  north 
of  the  Court-House.  On  the  preceding  day,  his  left  rested 
on  Glady  Run,  sweeping  northward,  and  sheltered  by 
strong  works.  His  right  curved  in  a  similar  direction, 
and  rested  on  the  ~Ny  River;  and  his  centre,  a  little 
thrown  forward  from  the  right  centre  and  left  centre,  was 
posted  on  commanding  ground.  His  position  was  well 
supported  by  breastworks,  and  along  his  centre  was  the 
forest  and  underbrush,  lining  a  marsh  partially  drained 
by  a  run.  In  the  morning  the  conflict  opened  by  a  ter- 
rific cannonade  of  our  artillery  against  the  advancing  rebel 
lines ;  and  for  the  first  time  in  the  campaign,  this  arm 
was  brought  into  full  and  destructive  use 

Mott's  Fourth  Division  of  the  Second  Corps  was  then 
transferred  to  the  left,  and  the  advance  continued  at  this 
point.  Orders,  however,  had  been  given  to  attack  the 
rebel  centre.  Accordingly,  Gibbons's  Second,  and  Birney's 
Third  Division  of  the  Second  Corps  were  drawn  back 
from  the  other  side  of  the  Po,  to  connect  with  "Warren. 
The  Second  and  Fourth  Divisions  of  the  Fifth  Corps  com- 
menced the  attack  on  the  centre.  The  rest  of  the  Fifth 
Corps  and  the  two  divisions  of  the  Second  then  advanced 
and  fought  with  great  tenacity  for  several  hours,  driving 
the  enemy  to  his  rifle-pits,  but  failing  to  capture  them. 
Gibbons's  gallant  Second  Division,  and  especially  Car- 
roll's Brigade,  suffered  severely  in  repeated  charges. 
General  Rice,  of  the  Second  Brigade,  Fourth  Division, 
Fifth  Corps,  was  at  this  time  killed.  The  check  of  our 


896  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

centre  threw  the  remaining  division,  Barlow's  (First),  of 
the  Second  Corps,  on  our  right,  in  extreme  peril,  and 
orders  were  given  to  withdraw  it  to  this  side  the  river. 
The  enemy,  however,  had  already  attacked  it  in  great 
force,  and  turned  it.  He  pounced  so  suddenly  and  fiercely 
upon  the  division  as  to  force  it  back  from  the  flanking 
position  it  held,  and  produce  a  momentary  confusion. 
This  was  soon  checked,  and  the  division,  though  pressed 
by  superior  numbers,  fought  its  way  slowly  backward, 
and,  still  fighting,  retreated  across  the  river  and  joined 
the  Second  Corps,  against  the  right  of  which  the  enemy 
continued  to  exert  his  strength,  until  after  nightfall,  when 
he  was  repulsed. 

Towards  evening,  a  most  energetic  and  gallant  assault 
was  made  by  the  whole  line.  Across  the  open  fields, 
through  reaches  of  wood,  through  depths  of  swamp  and 
mire,  the  dark  lines  of  our  battalions  struggled  forward 
against  a  fearful  fire  poured  down  upon  them  from  works 
that  only  our  artillery  could  reach  effectively.  The  di- 
visions of  the  Fifth  Corps,  subjected  to  an  enfilading  volley 
of  great  guns  from  right  and  left,  suffered  greatly.  The 
terrible  work  set  for  these  men,  under  such  a  fire,  was 
not  accomplished,  when  darkness  closed  around  the  strug- 
gling hosts  with  the  repulse  of  the  enemy  on  the  right  of 
the  Second  Corps.  Upton's  First  Brigade  of  Wright's 
First  Division  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  with  Russell's  Third 
Brigade  of  the  Third  Division,  moving  steadily  forward 
airfid  a  raking  and  murderous  fire,  without  firing  a  shot, 
scaled  the  enemy's  works  in  gallant  style,  and  captured 
more  than  one  thousand  of  the  very  men  who  had  stam- 
peded the  brigades  of  Shaler  and  Seymour  on  Friday 
night  in  the  Wilderness,  and  sending  a  scattering  volley 
after  a  host  of  flying  rebels.  Twelve  guns  also  came  into 
our  possession.  But  Upton,  finding  himself  far  in  ad- 
vance of  the  army,  was  compelled  to  fall  back  with  his 
prisoners  from  his  daring  assault.  As  always  before, 
night  closed  on  a  hard-fought  but  indecisive  field.  Our 
losses  were  perhaps  more  severe  than  those  of  any  pre- 
ious  day.  The  Sixth  Corps  alone,  in  the  battles  up 
to  that  night,  had  lost  over  five  thousand  killed  and 
wounded. 

The  following  bulletin  was  issued  upon  the  reception 
of  the  news  of  these  events  in  Washington  : — 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GKEAT    REBELLION.  897 

""WASHINGTON,  May  11 — 11.30  A.  M. 
"  To  Major-General  Dix : 

"  Dispatches  from  General  Grant,  dated  at  eight  o'clock  this  morning, 
have  just  reached  this  Department.  He  says: — 

"  'We  have  now  ended  the  sixth  day  of  very  heavy  fighting.  The  re- 
sult to  this  time  is  much  in  our  favor.  Our  losses  have  been  heavy,  as 
well  as  those  of  the  enemy.  I  think  the  loss  of  the  enemy  must  be  greater. 
We  have  taken  over  five  thousand  prisoners  in  battle,  while  he  has  taken 
from  us  but  few  except  stragglers.  /  propose  to  fight  it  out  on  this  line  if  it 
takes  all  summer.1 

"The  Government  is  sparing  no  pains  to  support  him. 

"  EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War" 

Wednesday,  May  llth,  was  a  day  of  no  extended  oper- 
ations, and  was  spent  mostly  in  skirmishing  and  changing 
positions  on  both  sides.  The  enemy  shifted  his  lines  to 
the  left,  and  corresponding  movements  were  made  on  the 
Federal  side.  It  had  been  determined  to  assault  on 
Thursday  morning,  and  the  Second  Corps  being  selected 
to  make  the  attempt,  it  was,  during  the  night,  which  was 
very  stormy,  moved  from  the  right  to  the  left  of  the 
Sixth,  between  that  and  Burnside,  so  that  on  Thursday 
morning  the  corps  were  disposed  as  follows :  the  Fifth 
Corps  on  the  right,  the  Sixth  Corps  next,  the  Second 
Corps  next,  and  Burnside,  as  before,  on  the  extreme  left. 
It  was  in  front  of  Hancock's  new  position  that  the  vital 
section  of  the  enemy  lay — a  strong  salient  angle  of  earth- 
works, ditched  in  front,  defended  by  cannon  at  every 
point,  and  held  by  Johnson's  Division  of  Swell's  Corps, 
Swell's  whole  Corps  adjoining. 

On  Thursday,  the  12th,  Hancock's  *  Corps,  occupying 
a  position  exposed  to  the  enemy's  guns,  moved  at  dawn 

*  "Winfield  Scott  Hancock  was  born  in  Montgomery  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1824,  and  graduated  at  West  Point  in  1844.  He  was  brevetted 
first  lieutenant  for  gallant  conduct  in  the  Mexican  war,  subsequently  saw 
much  service  in  the  West,  and  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  held  the 
position  of  quartermaster.  He  was  appointed  brigadier-general  of  volun- 
teers in  September,  1861,  commanded  a  brigade  in  the  Peninsular  campaign, 
and  was  highly  commended  for  his  conduct  at  the  battle  of  Williamsburg, 
May  5th,  1862.  After  the  battle  of  Antietam,  he  assumed  command  of  a 
division  in  the  Second  Corps,  and  distinguished  himself,  at  Fredericksburg, 
Chancellorsville,  and  Gettysburg.  At  the  last-named  battle  he  held  com- 
mand of  the  Second  Corps,  and  was  severely  wounded.  He  participated  in 
the  campaign  of  1864  against  Richmond,  and  organized  the  assault  which 
led  to  the  capture  of  Johnson's  Division,  May  12.  In  the  latter  part  of  the 
year  he  resigned  the  command  of  the  Second  Corps  to  General  Humphreys, 
and  was  assigned  to  the  First  Corps,  theu  reorganizing.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  he  commanded  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  He  is  now  major-gen- 
eral of  volunteers,  and  has  charge  of  the  Middle  Department. 
55 


898  HISTOKT   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

cautiously  up  to  the  enemy's  lines  amidst  a  dense  fog. 
Barlow's  Division — Niell's  Brigade  leading — formed  in 
column  by  battalions,  took  the  advance,  while  Birney, 
Mott,  and  Gibbon,  in  two  lines  of  battle,  supported  the 
attack. 

The  storming  column  advanced  silently,  and  with- 
out firing  a  shot,  up  to  the  angles  of  the  breastworks, 
over  which  it  rushed,  taking  the  forces  within  in  flank, 
surrounding  them,  capturing  nearly  the  entire  division 
of  Johnson,  three  thousand  men,  with  its  commander,  and 
also  a  brigade  or  two  of  other  troops,  Brigadier-General 
George  H.  Stuart  in  command.  Over  forty  pieces  of 
artillery  were  also  captured.  The  point  of  the  lines  thus 
carried  was  at  Ewell  s  right  and  A.  P.  Hill's  left,  and 
the  captured  division  was  a  part  of  Stonewall  Jackson's 
famous  old  corps.  It  was  an  exceedingly  important  point, 
Hancock  being  thus  inserted  like  a  wedge  between  the 
enemy's  centre  and  right. 

The  charge  of  the  Second  Corps  was  followed  by  a 
heavy  cannonade  all  along  the  line,  to  which  the  enemy 
replied  with  great  vigor.  Five  furious  charges  were 
made  by  the  enemy  to  retake  that  position.  E well's 
Corps,  driven  from  it  in  the  morning,  came  down  first 
en  masse,  and  were  repulsed.  Hill  moved  down  from  the 
right,  joined  Ewell,  and  threw  his  divisions  into  the 
struggle.  General  Wright  moved  up  from  the  right,  sup- 
porting Hancock  to  meet  the  surge.  Anderson  came  on 
from  the  extreme  left  of  the  enemy's  line.  Warren  sent 
in  troops  from  the  left  of  ours.  The  lines  of  both  armies, 
thus  contracted,  met  in  a  continual  death-grapple  in  and 
to  the  right  of  the  angle  taken  in  the  morning.  The 
enemy's  columns  dashed  with  unflinching  determination 
against  our  lines,  retiring  each  time  with  great  loss.  At 
length,  towards  noon,  they  ceased  their  efforts  to  retake 
the  position.  But  they  had  successfully  disputed  our 
further  advance.  Part  of  the  captured  cannon  remained 
covered  by  sharpshooters,  so  that  neither  party  could 
carry  them  off.  The  only  solid  advantage  gained  was 
the  possession  of  the  angle  surprised  in  the  morning. 
The  enemy's  front  remained  elsewhere  apparently  im- 
pregnable, every  avenue  of  approach  being  swept  by  the 
withering  fire  of  artillery,  and  their  force  being  strong 
enough  to  hold  the  position  against  twice  the  attacking 


HISTOBY  OF  THE  GEEAT  EEBELLION.  899 

ny  heroic  attempts  to  force  them,  the 
design  was  abandoned. 

General  Meade  began  early  in  the  afternoon  contract- 
ing his  line  and  massing  the  troops  on  his  left,  with  a 
view  to  turn  the  enemy's  right.  All  the  afternoon  the 
battle  raged  with  great  fury.  The  enemy  made  corre- 
sponding movements  from  his  left  to  his  right.  Every 
inch  of  soil,  muddy  with  gore,  was  fought  over  with  des- 
peration, and  yielded  only  when  it  became  impossible  to 
hold  it.  Neither  the  rain  nor  the  mire  of  the  roads  de- 
layed the  rapidity  or  intensity  of  the  fight.  The  rival 
bayonets  often  interlocked,  and  a  bloody  grapple  over  the 
intrenchments  lasted  for  hours,  the  rebel  battle-flags  now 
surging  up  side  by  side  with  our  own,  and  anon,  torn 
and  riddled,  disappearing  in  the  woods.  The  dead  and 
wounded  lay  thickly  strewn  along  the  ground,  and  fairly 
heaped  up  where  the  fight  was  deadliest. 

After  fourteen  hours'  fighting,  night  fell  on  a  battle 
unsurpassed  in  severity  in  the  history  of  the  war.  For 
the  first  time  in  the  campaign  a  decided  success  was 
achieved.  "Warren  and  "Wright,  who  moved  two  hours 
after  Hancock,  had  not  advanced  on  the  enemy's  front ; 
but  this  was  not  expected,  as  his  position  could  not  there 
be  carried.  On  the  extreme  left,  Burnside  had  severely 
Buffered  ;  while  on  the  left  centre,  Hancock  had  stormed 
and  held  an  important  angle  of  the  enemy's  works,  de- 
spite all  their  eftorts  to  repossess  it.  Official  dispatches 
add  that  the  day's  work  also  gave  us  more  than  three  thou- 
sand prisoners,  and  also  two  general  officers,  and  eighteen 
pieces  of  artillery  actually  brought  into  our  lines.  Be- 
tween forty  and  fifty  pieces  had  been  at  one  time  captured, 
but  the  remainder  rested  on  debatable  ground,  and  were 
subsequently  withdrawn  by  the  enemy.  The  brilliant 
dash  of  the  morning  had  secured  a  strong  grasp  on  the 
enemy's  left  centre,  and  an  advance  of  a  mile  in  our  line 
in  that  direction.  Five  determined  assaults  were  made 
during  the  day  to  expel  our  troops,  but  all  were  fruitless. 
No  more  gallant,  desperate,  or  long-continued  fighting, 
on  either  side,  for  the  possession  of  intrenchments,  had 
occurred  during  the  war ;  while  the  severity  of  the 
wounds  gave  proof  of  something  more  than  musketry 
fighting. 

The  foregoing  movements  were  thus  described  by  the 


900  HISTORY   OF  THE  GEEAT  REBELLION. 

Assistant  Secretary  of  "War,  who  accompanied  the  army 
in  its  advance : — 

•"  SPOTTSTLVANIA  COCRT-HOTTSE,  VA.,  Friday,  May  13,  1864 — 8  A.  M. 
"Hon.  E.  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War: 

"  Lee  abandoned  his  position  during  the  night,  whether  to  occupy  a  new 
position  in  the  vicinity,  or  to  make  a  thorough  retreat,  is  not  determined. 

"  One  division  of  Wright's  and  one  of  Hancock's  are  engaged  in  settling 
this  question,  and  at  half-past  seven  A.  M.  had  come  up  on  his  rear-guard. 
Though  our  army  is  greatly  fatigued  from  the  enormous  efforts  of  yester- 
day, the  news  of  Lee's  departure  inspires  the  men  with  fresh  energy.  The 
whole  force  will  soon  be  in  motion,  but  the  heavy  rains  of  the  last  thirty- 
six  hours  render  the  roads  very  difficult  for  wagons  and  artillery.  The 
proportion  of  severely  wounded  is  greater  than  on  either  of  the  previous 
days'  fighting.  This  was  owing  to  the  great  use  made  of  artillery. 

"C.  A.  DANA." 

Meanwhile,  on  May  9th,  a  picked  body  of  cavalry, 
under  the  immediate  command  of  General  Sheridan,* 
chief  of  cavalry  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  had  left  the 
front  on  an  expedition  to  the  rear  of  Lee's  army,  the  main 
object  of  which  was  to  cut  off  the  rebel  communications 
and  supplies.  Moving  rapidly  south  along  the  Negro 


*  Philip  Henry  Sheridan  was  born  in  Perry  County,  Ohio,  in  1831,  and 
graduated  at  West  Point  in  1853.  He  saw  considerable  service  in  the 
West,  and  after  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  was  commissioned  a  captain 
in  the  Thirteenth  United  States  Infantry.  For  nearly  a  year  he  acted  as 
chief  quartermaster  in  the  Trans-Mississippi  Department,  and  in  May,  1862, 
was  appointed  colonel  of  the  Second  Michigan  Cavalry.  In  June  he  was 
put  in  command  of  a  cavalry  brigade,  and  for  a  brilliant  victory  over  the 
rebel  General  Chalmers,  at  Booneville,  Mississippi,  July  1st,  he  was  pro- 
moted, on  General  Grant's  recommendation,  to  be  a  brigadier-general  of 
volunteers.  During  the  invasion  of  Kentucky  by  Bragg,  in  1862,  he  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  a  division  hi  Buell's  army,  and  subsequently 
fought  at  Perrysville  and  Murfreesboro,  earning  by  his  valor  in  the  latter 
engagement  his  promotion  to  be  major-general  of  volunteers.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  campaign  of  1863  against  Chattanooga,  and  again  distin- 
guished himself  at  Chickamauga  and  the  succeeding  battle  on  Missionary 
Ridge.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he  was  summoned  Eastward  to  assume  com- 
mand of  the  cavalry  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  in  which  capacity  he  led 
several  daring  expeditions  against  the  enemy's  communications.  In 
A.ugust  he  took  charge  of  the  military  division  of  the  Shenandoah,  gained 
the  brilliant  victories  of  September  19th  and  21st  over  Early,  and  on  Octo- 
ber 19th  won  the  hard-fought  battle  of  Cedar  Creek,  changing  by  his  op- 
portune arrival  a  Union  defeat  into  a  signal  victory.  In  March,  1865,  he 
moved  his  cavalry  to  the  James  River,  and  in  the  flanking  movement  by 
which  Lee  was  driven  out  of  Petersburg  and  eventually  destroyed,  he  held 
the  chief  command,  defeating  the  rebels  with  severe  loss  at  the  battle  of 
Five  Forks.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  war  he  went  to  Texas  as  commander 
of  the  military  division  of  the  Gulf.  He  is  a  major-general  of  the  regular 
army. 


HISTOKY  OF  THE  GREAT  EEBELLION.  901 

Foot  road  towards  Childsburg,  he  crossed  the  North 
Anna  River  at  the  fords  and  suddenly  pounced  upon  the 
Beaver  Dam  Station  of  the  Virginia  Central  Railroad, 
where  a  rebel  provost-guard,  having  charge  of  nearly  four 
hundred  Union  prisoners,  was  captured.  The  latter  were 
promptly  released.  Thence  moving  towards  Richmond, 
he  sent  a  detachment  to  Ashland  Station,  on  the  Fred- 
ericksburg  Railroad,  where  the  track,  station-house,  and 
considerable  rolling  stock  were  destroyed.  On  the  llth 
the  command,  again  concentrated,  had  reached  a  point 
within  six  miles  of  Richmond,  where  the  rebel  cavalry 
under  General  Stuart  *  was  encountered,  and,  after  a  sharp 
fight,  defeated,  with  the  loss  of  several  guns,  Stuart  him- 
self being  mortally  wounded.  On  the  succeeding  morn- 
ing a  detachment  penetrated  to  the  second  line  of  defences 
of  Richmond,  but,  not  being  in  sufficient  force  to  make  a 
dash  at  the  city,  rejoined  the  main  body,  which  was 
moving  towards  Meadow  Bridge,  on  the  Chickahominy. 
The  rebels,  aware  by  this  time  of  the  intentions  of  Sheri- 
dan, were  moving  rapidly  in  superior  force  to  surround 
and  cut  him  off,  and  upon  reaching  the  river  the  Union 
cavalry  found  Meadow  Bridge  destroyed  and  the  Freder- 
icksburg  Railroad  bridge,  which  crosses  the  Chicka- 
hominy near  this  place,  commanded  by  defensive  works. 
To  add  to  Sheridan's  embarrassment,  another  rebel  force 
now  came  up  in  his  rear,  cutting  off  his  retreat  and  seri- 
ously jeopardizing  the  command. 

Hemmed  in  between  two  fires,  with  a  difficult  river  to 
cross,  and  a  vigilant  and  confident  enemy  surrounding 


*  James  E.  B.  Stuart  was  bora  in  Patrick  County,  Virginia,  about  1832, 
and  graduated  at  West  Point  in  1854.  He  served  in  a  cavalry  regiment 
until  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion,  when  he  resigned  his  commission  and 
entered  the  rebel  army,  in  which,  in  September,  1861,  he  was  commissioned 
a  brigadier-general.  In  the  ensuing  winter  he  organized  the  rebel  cavalry 
forces  in  Virginia,  and  during  the  Peninsular  campaign  distinguished  him- 
self by  a  raid  in  McClellan's  rear,  which  was  the  precursor  of  that  general's 
change  of  base  to  the  James  Eiver,  and  of  the  seven  days'  fighting  which 
accompanied  the  movement.  He  commanded  the  cavalry  during  the  suc- 
ceeding invasion  of  Maryland,  and  a  few  weeks  after  the  battle  of  Antietam 
again  rode  around  the  Union  lines,  bringing  off  a  considerable  amount  of 
spoils.  In  the  Chancellorsville  campaign  and  Lee's  second  invasion  of  the 
North,  his  cavalry  was  active,  and,  after  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  effectually 
covered  the  rebel  retreat.  He  was  mortally  wounded  in  an  encounter  with 
the  Union  cavalry  at  YeDow  Tavern,  near  Richmond,  on  the  path  and 
died  a  few  hours  later.  He  then  held  the  rank  of  lieutenant-general 


902  HISTORY  OF  THE  GKEAT  EEBELLION. 

his  tired  troopers,  Sheridan  acted  with  consummate  cool- 
ness and  judgment.  The  railroad  bridge  being  under 
the  circumstances  impracticable,  he  immediately  com- 
menced to  reconstruct  Meadow  Bridge,  though  exposed 
the  while  to  a  severe  fire,  to  which  his  own  artillery 
effectually  replied,  and  obliged  to  repel  the  enemy  in  his 
rear  by  frequent  counter-attacks.  At  length  the  bridge 
was  completed,  and  preparations  were  made  to  pass  his 
ammunition  train  across.  But  as  this  operation,  under 
the  hot  fire  of  the  enemy,  would  be  attended  with  no  little 
risk,  he  gathered  his  men  up  for  a  final  charge,  and,  put- 
ting himself  at  their  head,  sabre  in  hand,  drove  the  rebels 
in  confusion  to  the  shelter  of  the  neighboring  woods,  their 
flight  being  accelerated  by  several  well-aimed  shots  from 
the  Union  artillery.  The  trains  were  now  quickly  passed 
across  the  river,  and  the  rebel  force  on  the  farther  bank 
was  driven  through  Mechanicsville  to  Cold  Harbor,  with 
the  loss  of  many  prisoners.  Sheridan  encamped  that 
night  at  Gaines's  Mill,  the  old  battle-ground  of  June  27th, 
1862,  and  on  the  14th  reached  General  Butler's  head- 
quarters, near  City  Point,  on  the  James  River.  He  then 
opened  communications  with  Yorktown,  and  thence  with 
Washington. 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  903 


CHAPTEK  LI. 

Retrograde  Movement  of  the  Enemy. — Bad  Condition  of  the  Roads. — 
Union  Movement  to  the  Left. — Relative  Position  of  Armies. — Re-enforce- 
ments.— Irruption  on  the  Rear  Repulsed. — Grant  Crossing  the  North 
Anna. — Impregnable  Position  of  the  Enemy. — North  Anna  Recrossed, 
and  Movement  to  the  Left  continued. 

FRIDAY,  the  13th,  continued  stormy,  but  the  skirmish- 
ers were  early  pushed  out,  only  to  discover  that  the 
enemy  had  fallen  back  to  a  new  position,  made  necessary 
by  the  loss  of  the  angle  occupied  by  Hancock.  The 
roads  were  in  such  a  condition  that  rapidity  of  movement 
was  out  of  the  question,  and  the  day  was  occupied  mostly 
in  burying  the  dead.  General  Meade  issued  a  congratu- 
latory order  to  the  troops.  Towards  night,  new  disposi- 
tions were  determined  on.  The  enemy's  right  being 
deemed  the  only  practicable  point  of  attack,  our  lines 
were  to  be  once  more  shifted  down  to  the  left,  in  the  en- 
deavor to  flank.  The  Fifth  and  Sixth  Corps  were  select- 
ed this  time,  for  an  attempt  resembling  that  of  the  Second 
and  Ninth.  The  position  of  Thursday,  the  12th,  as  al- 
ready indicated,  ran  thus,  from  right  to  left :  Warren, 
Wright,  Hancock,  Burnside.  About  nine  o'clock,  on 
Friday  night,  the  two  right  corps  were  put  in  motion, 
and  marched  all  night  to  their  new  position.  The  diffi- 
culties of  the  march  through  the  ankle-deep  and  knee- 
deep  mud,  and  amid  the  furious  storm,  made  the  move- 
ment slow  and  arduous,  and  only  endurable  by  contrast 
with  the  severer  experience  of  constant  battle. 

On  the  morning  of  Saturday,  the  14th,  the  enemy  was 
found  to  have  fallen  back  a  little,  and  to  have  brought 
his  line  more  to  the  east,  still  holding  the  Court-House 
and  the  forked  roads.  In  this  neighborhood,  the  Ny  and 
the  Po  Rivers,  branches  of  the  Mattapony,  approach  each 
other  to  form  their  junction.  The  Federal  army  was  in 
the  fork  formed  by  these  streams,  and  at  right  angles  with 
the  road  from  Fredericksburg  to  Spottsylvania.  The 


904  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

several  corps  were  posted  as  follows :  Hancock's  Second 
Corps  on  the  right,  Burnside's  Ninth  on  the  right  centre, 
Wright's  Sixth  on  the  left  centre,  Warren's  Fifth  on  the 
left.  On  Saturday,  "Wright  had  not  been  able  to  get  im- 
mediately into  position,  and  was  farther  to  the  left,  and  a 
little  thrown  back,  as  if  in  reserve.  The  position  was  a 
good  one,  on  the  crests  of  rolling  ridges  running  nearly 
northwest  and  southeast,  and  covering  the  southerly  bank 
of  the  Ny  River.  There  was  also  space  for  the  sweep 
of  the  artillery.  Unfortunately,  the  almost  indescribably 
bad  condition  of  the  roads  had  prevented  the  successful 
completion  of  the  movement  in  season  to  authorize  an 
attack.  There  was  no  hope  of  surprise,  and  before  our 
artillery  trains  and  infantry  masses  were  in  position  the 
enemy  was  alert  and  hostile. 

The  head-quarters  of  Grant  and  Meade  were  at  Gail's 
House,  eight  miles  from  Fredericksburg  and  two  miles 
from  the  Court-House.  The  extremities  of  the  two  wings 
were  about  equidistant  from  the  house,  and  the  skirmish- 
ing line  a  mile  in  front.  The  enemy's  position  was  a 
semicircular  line  of  earthworks,  with  rifle-pits  here  and 
there,  well  established  on  commanding  heights,  and  the 
whole  flanked  right  and  left  by  dense  woods.  Artillery 
was  already  in  position,  and  new  intrenchments  building. 
A  part  of  the  works  appeared  to  be  sodded,  showing  an 
old  construction,  and  the  utmost  activity  was  manifest  in 
strengthening  the  position.  Our  forces  soon  commenced  to 
throw  up  field-works,  and  the  great  armies,  so  lately  con- 
tending with  bayonet  and  bullet,  were  now  quietly  and 
sedulously  emulating  each  other  with  the  spade. 

Sunday,  the  15th,  was  the  twelfth  day  since  the  army 
had  left  Culpepper,  and  was  the  first  of  comparative  rest 
that  the  men  had  enjoyed.  There  was  but  little  skir- 
mishing on  either  side.  On  Monday,  the  16th,  Grant 
sent  word  to  Washington  that  operations  would  be  sus- 
pended until  the  roads  should  be  passable.  Monday  and 
Tuesday  passed  in  welcome  rest  for  the  army.  The 
wounded  were  sent  back  in  long  trains  of  ambulances  to 
Fredericksburg,  and  the  roads  were  lined  with  crippled 
soldiers  painfully  making  their  way  in  the  same  direction. 
Mosby's  guerrillas  scoured  the  country  on  both  sides  of 
the  Rapidan,  picking  up  squads  of  stragglers.  Re-en- 
forcements had  been  received  to  the  extent  of  thirty -five 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  905 

thousand,  according  to  the  announcement  of  the  Secretary 
of  War,  to  fill  up  the  terrible  gaps  made  by  the  previous 
ten  days'  service.  The  time  was  similarly  employed  by 
the  enemy. 

By  Tuesday  afternoon,  the  17th,  the  ground  had  be- 
come somewhat  improved,  so  as  to  admit  of  reconnois- 
sances.  Hitherto  the  constant  effort  of  Grant  had  been  to 
turn  the  enemy's  right.  It  was  now  determined  to  reverse 
the  operation,  and,  if  possible,  to  throw  the  enemy  off  his 
guard ;  the  more  so  that  the  ground  was  more  favorable 
for  manoauvring  on  our  right  than  on  our  left.  In  ac- 
cordance with  this  determination  a  new  disposition  of 
troops  was  made  during  Tuesday  night,  and  the  line  was 
formed  "Wednesday  morning,  the  18th,  from  right  to  left, 
as  follows :  Wright,  Hancock,  Burnside,  Warren.  The 
right  and  right  centre,  Wright  and  Hancock,  were  to 
attack.  It  was  hoped  by  this  means  to  surprise  the 
enemy,  as  our  movements  of  the  past  week — refusing  our 
right  constantly,  and  massing  on  the  left — seemed  to  in- 
dicate a  fixed  purpose  on  the  part  of  Meade  of  turning 
the  rebel  right.  The  enemy,  however,  divined  the  in- 
tention, and  were  already  perfectly  prepared.  When 
Hancock  advanced  he  found  them  in  an  impregnable 
position.  Hancock  pushed  through  two  outer  lines  of 
rifle-pits,  which  had  been  abandoned  in  apparent  haste  to 
draw  him  on,  but  presently  struck  an  extremely  strong 
line  of  breastworks,  with  abatis  in  front,  and  very  heavily 
armed  with  artillery.  The  position  could  only  have  been 
carried  by  an  immense  loss  of  life,  if  it  could  have  been 
carried  at  all.  The  order  for  assault  was,  accordingly,  at 
ten  o'clock  A.  M.  countermanded.  A  nearer  view  of  the 
position  it  was  intended  to  assail  convinced  the  com- 
manding general  that  it  could  not  be  carried.  If  it  could 
be  gained  by  hard  fighting,  he  was  not  the  man  to  flinch 
on  that  account ;  but  success  seemed  hopeless. 

General  Grant,  finding  it  impossible  to  force  the 
enemy's  front,  once  more  determined  to  move  by  his  left. 
On  Wednesday  night  a  cavalry  force  under  General  Tor- 
bert  entered  Guinney's  Station,  a  point  on  the  Richmond, 
Fredericksburg,  and  Potomac  Railroads,  about  ten  miles 
in  a  direct  line  southeasterly  from  Spottsylvania,  across 
the  Po,  and  consequently  on  the  right  and  rear  of  the 
enemy's  position.  The  cavalry  destroyed  the  buildings 


906  HISTORY  OF  THE  GEEAT  REBELLION. 

and  supplies,  the  telegraph  apparatus,  &c.  This  was 
only  the  precursor  of  a  general  movement  in  that  direc- 
tion. On  Thursday  a  portion  of  the  right  began  to  move 
towards  the  left,  and  dispositions  were  in  progress  to  carry 
out  the  whole  movement,  when  an  unexpected  interrup- 
tion took  place.  Ewel!,*  noticing  the  movement  of  our 
troops  from  the  right,  moved  a  part  of  his  corps  to  thwart 
it.  The  division  of  Rhodes  having  the  advance,  crossed 
the  ~Ny  River,  and  reached  the  Fredericksburg  wagon- 
road  in  the  rear  of  our  right  flank,  where  he  captured 
ambulances  and  a  subsistence  train  within  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  of  the  head-quarters  of  Generals  Meade  and 
Grant.  The  only  troops  we  had  on  the  ground  at  the 
time  were  Tyler's  Division  of  heavy  artillery,  which  had 
lately  been  brought  from  Washington.  Three  divisions, 
one  each  of  the  Second,  Fifth,  and  Sixth  Corps,  were  sent 
to  his  support.  Tyler  met  the  attack  near  the  woods, 
where  the  enemy  had  formed  in  a  single  line,  with  skir- 
mishers in  front.  He  felt  some  apprehension  at  the 
result  of  the  encounter,  as  his  troops  were  raw  and  had 
never  been  employed  in  open  field-fighting.  But  when 
once  fairly  under  fire  they  showed  a  degree  of  courage 
and  audacity  which  surprised  the  rebels  not  less 
than  their  commander.  No  sooner  did  they  see  the 
enemy,  than,  regardless  of  the  devices  which  older  troops 
would  have  taken  to  screen  themselves  in  a  close 
encounter  in  the  woods,  they  fired  a  volley  and  followed 
it  up  by  an  impetuous  charge,  which  sent  the  rebels 
quickly  towards  their  camp.  The  honors  of  the  repulse 
of  the  enemy,  whose  boldly-conceived  movement  might, 
under  different  circumstances,  have  produced  disastrous 

*  Richard  Stoddard  Ewell  was  born  in  the  District  of  Columbia  about 
1820,  and  graduated  at  West  Point  in  1840.  He  was  brevetted  captain  for 
gallantry  in  the  Mexican  war,  subsequently  saw  considerable  service  in  the 
West,  and  at  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war  resigned  his  commission  and 
entered  the  rebel  army,  of  which  he  was  appointed  a  brigadier-general. 
He  was  subsequently  promoted  to  be  a  major-general,  and  took  command 
of  a  corps  in  the  Army  of  Virginia.  He  lost  a  leg  at  the  second  battle  of 
Bull  Run,  and  did  not  resume  his  command  until  after  the  battle  of  Get- 
tysburg. He  participated  in  the  invasion  of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania 
in  1863,  distinguished  himself  at  Gettysburg,  and  during  the  campaign  of 
1864-'65,  commanded  one  of  the  three  corps  of  Lee's  army.  On  April  6tb, 
1865,  his  corps  was  disastrously  routed  by  Sheridan,  west  of  Burkesville, 
and  he  himself  captured.  H,e  was  subsequently  confined  in  Fort  Warren, 
but  after  some  months  released. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT  REBELLION.  907 

results,  rested  with  Tyler's  heavy  artillery  division,  and 
partly  also  with  Birney's  Division  of  the  Second  Corps, 
and  Crawford's  of  the  Fifth,  which  formed  line,  enabling 
Tyler  to  withdraw,  after  driving  the  enemy  for  several 
miles  and  clearing  the  valley  of  the  Ny. 

The  grand  movement,  which  had  been  delayed  by  this 
attack,  recommenced  on  the  night  of  Friday,  the  20th, 
when  Torbert's  Cavalry  left  Guinney's  Station,  on  the 
Fredericksburg  and  Richmond  Railroad,  and  pushed  on 
to  Bowling  Green,  fifteen  miles  southeast  of  Spottsyl- 
vania,  and  thence  to  Milford  Station,  hoping  to  capture 
Lee's  stores;  but  they  had  been  already  removed.  At 
midnight  of  Friday,  the  Second  Corps  followed  the 
cavalry,  striking  Massaponax  Church  about  four  o'clock, 
Guinney's  Station  on  Saturday  morning,  and  finally 
Bowling  Green — reaching  the  latter  point,  after  a  march 
of  about  twenty  miles,  by  nightfall  of  Saturday.  The 
weather  was  fine  but  warm,  and  the  roads  good.  Pro- 
ceeding from  Bowling  Green,  the  Second  Corps  next 
struck  the  Mattapony  at  Milford  Bridge,  five  miles 
south,  crossed  the  river,  and  formed  line  in  a  command- 
ing position  about  a  mile  from  the  bridge.  Here,  a  few 
hundred  rebel  cavalry  dashed  against  Barlow's  Division 
while  forming,  but  discovering  in  season  they  were  about 
to  capture  a  Tartar,  wheeled  and  escaped  with  safety. 
The  enemy's  infantry  was  in  strong  force  in  front. 
During  the  day  of  Sunday,  the  22d,  the  corps  marched 
forward  and  held  the  ground  for  a  mile  or  two  from  the 
Mattapony.  Milford  Station  is  about  forty  miles  from 
Richmond. 

At  ten  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning,  "Warren's  Fifth 
Corps  broke  camp  and  followed  the  Second,  encountering 
cavalry,  like  its  predecessor,  near  Guinney's.  The  Sixth 
and  Ninth  followed  the  Fifth,  bringing  up  the  rear,  ana, 
on  Saturday,  the  whole  army  had  left  Spottsylvania. 
Our  advance  found  everywhere  that  the  movement  had 
been  anticipated;  stores  had  been  removed,  and  Lee's 
main  army  taken  from  our  path.  All  the  corps  had  more 
or  less  skirmishing — that  in  the  rear  being  at  one  time 
quite  lively,  but  no  danger  or  delay  was  caused.  The 
advance  was  conducted  in  a  bold  and  confident  style,  the 
corps  striking  out,  with,  occasionally,  long  gaps  interven- 
ing, causing  no  little  trepidation  in  some  quarters,  lest  a 


908  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT   EEBELLION. 

part  of  our  force  should  be  cut  off  by  an  attack  of  the 
enemy,  while  it  marched  by  the  flank. 

By  Sunday  the  column  began  to  consolidate,  and  a 
sort  of  line  was  formed,  facing  westerly,  the  Second 
Corps  holding  the  left  at  Milford  Station,  and  the  Fifth 
the  right  at  Guinney's,  with  the  centre  in  the  direction 
of  Bowling  Green.  It  was  already  clear  to  Grant  that 
the  enemy  was  preceding  him  in  the  direction  of  Han- 
over Court-House,  and  the  whole  army  on  Monday 
pushed  forward  at  a  rapid  rate,  and  reached  the  North 
Anna  River,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Jericho  Mills.  The 
Second  and  Fifth  Corps  were  in  the  advance,  the  latter 
at  the  right  of  the  Second.  Hancock  rushed  at  the 
enemy's  strong  position,  after  briefly  reconnoitring  its 
strength,  his  troops  gallantly  charging  the  enemy  ;  while 
our  batteries  played  into  their  works.  The  battle  was 
very  severe;  but,  with  a  loss  of  about  three  hundred 
men,  Hancock  succeeded  in  forcing  the  position.  Mean- 
while, Warren's  Fifth  Corps  had  already  crossed  higher 
up,  without  much  difficulty,  but  were  soon  attacked  with 
fury  and  vehemence.  Secretary  Stanton's  dispatch  from 
General  Grant  says  that  Warren  "  was  attacked  with 
great  vehemence.  I  have  never  heard  more  rapid  or 
massive  firing,  either  of  artillery  or  musketry.  The 
attack  resulted  in  a  destructive  repulse  of  the  enemy. 
At  the  position  attacked  by  Hancock  the  rebels  were 
intrenched,  and  in  considerable  force,  between  the  creek 
he  had  crossed  and  the  river,  and  made  a  pertinacious 
resistance  to  his  onset ;  but  before  dark  he  had  forced 
them  from  their  works  and  driven  them  across  the 
stream."  By  night,  the  Second  and  Fifth  Corps  were 
both  across  the  river,  and  the  Ninth  and  Sixth  held  the 
thither  side.  On  Tuesday  the  whole  army  was  across. 

Lee  had  even  on  Friday  night  suspected  Grant's  move- 
ment. He  knew  the  impregnability  of  his  own  position. 
He  knew  that  the  Federal  advance  on  his  works  had  been 
abandoned  without  serious  attack,  and  when  Ewell's 
attack  on  the  Federal  lines  discovered  the  absence  of 
Hancock,  Grant's  plan  was  demonstrated.  At  midnight 
of  the  20th  two  corps  of  the  rebel  army  were  already  on 
the  way  to  head  off  Grant,  while  the  third  remained  on 
the  ground  and  attacked  the  Federal  Sixth  on  Saturday 
morning.  The  route  of  Lee  was  much  shorter  and  more 


HISTOEY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  909 

0 

direct  to  the  same  point  than  that  of  Grant.  He  accord- 
ingly sent  a  flying  body  to  harass  the  troops  of  Grant, 
while  Ewell  and  Longstreet  passed  over  the  Telegraph 
road,  and  A.  P.  Hill  farther  to  the  west,  over  the  Negro 
Foot  road,  and  when  our  troops  reached  the  North  Anna 
Eiver,  Longstreet  and  Ewell  had  been  in>  position  twenty- 
four  hours. 

Tuesday,  the  24th,  was  passed  in  getting  the  array  into 
position  on  the  south  of  the  North  Anna.  Port  Royal, 
on  the  Rappahannock,  became  the  new  base  of  supplies, 
and  head-quarters  were  at  Jericho  Mills. 

On  Wednesday  noon,  the  25th,  the  line  rested  as 
follows,  from  right  to  left :  "Wright's  Sixth  Corps,  War- 
ren's Fifth,  Burnside's  Ninth,  Hancock's  Second. 
Wright's  Corps  was  held  rather  in  the  rear,  covering 
Jericho  Ford.  Hancock's  extreme  left  touched  on  the 
railroad,  and  was  but  very  little  advanced  from  the  river. 
Between  our  right  and  left  the  enemy  was  found  in 
strong  force  opposite  our  centre,  with  his  left  a  little 
thrown  back.  Our  own  line  extended  about  four  miles. 
The  reconnoissances  of  the  day  showed  that  the  enemy's 
line  lay  northwest  of  Sexton's  Junction,  in  the  general 
form  of  a  V.  The  apex,  or  his  centre,  stretched  towards 
the  North  Anna,  his  right  wing  resting  on  the  formidable 
marsh  known  as  Bull  Swamp,  through  which  the  creek 
of  that  name  empties  into  the  North  Anna,  and  extend- 
ing across  the  Fredericksburg  Railroad,  protecting  it  and 
covering  the  junction.  His  left  wing  ran  along  Little 
River,  crossing  the  Virginia  Central,  and  protecting  it 
also  at  Sexton's  Junction.  The  salient,  an  obtuse  angle, 
was  pushed  out  towards  Ox  Ford,  confronting  Burnside. 
Hancock's  Corps  lay  pretty  nearly  parallel  with  the 
enemy's  right.  This  position,  naturally  strong,  appeared 
to  be  fortified  with  extensive  and  elaborate  intrenchments, 
to  which  the  enemy  was  busily  adding  others.  The 
whole  position  looked  formidable,  and  the  enemy  did  not 
yield  to  the  slight  pressure  of  our  reconnoissance. 

On  Thursday  head-quarters  were  at  Quarles's  Ford. 
Reconnoissances  again  went  on,  but  showed  nothing  new. 
The  strength  of  the  rebel  army,  with  the  morass  on  the 
right  and  the  river  on  the  left,  with  its  centre  danger- 
ously inserted  between  the  two  fords,  and  threatening  to 
penetrate  our  own  centre,  was  again  obvious.  In  case 


910  HISTORY   OP  THE   GEEAT  REBELLION. 

of  a  battle,  the  rapidity  with  which  troops  could  be 
thrown  back  and  forth  from  flank  to  flank,  as  occasion 
required,  was  no  less  obvious.  The  position  was  skilfully 
chosen,  and,  it  would  seem,  threatened  our  security,  as 
well  as  provided  for  its  own. 

A  glance  at  the  position  sufficed  to  show  that  it  was 
almost  impregnable,  and  once  more  the  movement  to  the 
left  commenced.  To  make  this  movement,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  recross  the  North  Anna,  which  was  swelling  from 
the  recent  rain's,  and  no  time  was  to  be  lost.  With  a 
vigilant  enemy  on  his  rear,  the  task  was  not  easy.  To 
cover  the  movement,  a  demonstration  was  made  during 
Thursday,  the  26th,  on  the  enemy's  works,  and  the 
cavalry  set  to  burning  the  track  of  the  Virginia  Central 
Hail  road.  Under  cover  of  this  attack,  on  Thursday 
evening,  the  Sixth  Corps  quietly  and  swiftly  withdrew  to 
the  north  branch  of  the  river,  followed  by  the  other 
corps  in  quick  succession,  and  moved  out  easterly  for  the 
Pamunkey.  Hancock  protected  the  rear,  and,  mean- 
while, a  strong  skirmish  line  was  left  in  front,  to  engage 
the  enemy's  attention  and  disarm  suspicion.  At  9 
o'clock  on  Friday  morning,  Torbert's  First  and  Gregg's 
Second  Division  of  Sheridan's  Cavalry  took  possession  of 
Hanover  Ferry  and  Hanovertown,  finding  there  only  a 
rebel  vedette.  General  Torbert  captured  seventy-five 
cavalry,  including  six  officers.  The  First  Division  of 
the  Sixth  Corps  arrived  at  10  A.  M.,  and  the  rest  of  the 
column  closely  followed.  On  the  morning  of  the  27th, 
while  our  army  moved  down  the  north  side  of  the  Pa- 
munkey, Breckinridge's  Division  was  sent  to  move  down 
on  the  south  side  of  the  stream,  to  Hanover  Court-House, 
to  act  as  a  corps  of  observation ;  and  a  brigade  of 
cavalry  was  sent  still  farther  on,  on  the  Piping  Tree  road. 
Hanovertown  is  on  the  Pamunkey,  fifteen  miles  north- 
east of  Richmond,  nine  miles  in  air  line  from  Hanover 
Court-House,  and  sixteen  from  White  House,  on  the 
same  river.  But  the  exceedingly  tortuous  nature  of  the 
river  makes  the  two  latter  distances  very  much  greater 
by  river  and  somewhat  greater  by  road.  It  was  at  once 
evident  that  the  familiar  spot  known  as  the  White  House 
was  henceforth  to  be  our  base  of  supplies.  Thirteen 
miles  east  of  White  House  is  West  Point,  where  the 
Mattapony  and  Pamunkey  form,  by  their  confluence, 


HISTORY  OP  THE  GEEAT  KEBELLION.  911 

the  York  River.     The  distance  by  the  winding  stream  is 
much  greater.     A  railroad  connects  the  two  points. 

In  the  afternoon  of  Friday,  General  Meade's  head-quar- 
ters were  at  Mongohick  Church,  situated  at  the  cross-roads 
on  Mehixen  Creek,  in  King  William  County,  ten  miles 
north  of  Hanovertown.  On  Saturday  morning,  the  28th, 
our  troops  had  obtained  complete  possession  of  Hanover- 
town  and  the  neighboring  region,  having  inarched  proba- 
bly twenty-five  miles,  in  the  heat  and  dust,  since  Thursday 
night.  On  Sunday,  the  29th,  the  whole  army  was  suc- 
cessfully across  the  Pamunkey,  and  fronted  southwest, 
about  three  miles  from  the  river.  The  corps  moved  cau- 
tiously forward,  and  an  attack  from  Lee  was  expected. 
None  such  was  made,  however,  and  the  only  firing  came 
from  reconnoitring  parties  far  in  the  front.  Reconnois- 
sances  were  made  from  each  corps,  followed  up  by  a  grad- 
ual advance.  It  appeared  that  the  enemy  was  in  force 
half  a  dozen  miles  distant  from  our  lines,  across  Tolopa- 
tomoy  Creek,  with  his  extreme  right  holding  Shady  Grove 
and  Mechanicsville,  his  right  centre  in  front  of  Atler's 
Station  on  the  Virginia  Central,  and  his  left  still  persist- 
ently covering  Hanover  Court-House.  Trains  now  began 
to  run  to  and  from  White  House,  and  dispositions  were 
made  for  battle. 


912  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 


CHAPTER  LII. 

Original  Plan  of  Campaign. — Butler's  Expedition  up  the  James. — Movement 
on  Petersburg. — Fort  Darling. — Repulse  of  the  Union  Forces. — Attack 
by  Beauregard. — Beauregard  Re-enforces  Lee. — Smith  sent  to  support 
Grant. 

THE  campaign  of  General  Grant  upon  his  appointment 
as  Lieutenant-General  to  the  chief  command  of  all  the  ar- 
mies of  the  United  States,  comprised  a  simultaneous  move- 
ment by  the  army  under  Sherman  in  Tennessee,  by  that 
under  Sigel  in  the  Valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  another 
under  Butler,  which  was  to  land  at  City  Point  on  the 
James  River,  and  destroy  the  Petersburg  Railroad  con- 
nection with  Richmond,  thus  preventing  Beauregard,  who 
commanded  on  the  south  side  of  the  James,  from  going  to 
re-enforce  Lee.  This  expedition,  consisting  of  the  Eigh: 
teenth  Corps,  Major-General  "W.  F.  Smith,  known  asBal- 
dy  Smith,  and  the  Tenth  Corps,  Major-General  Gillmore, 
was  embarked  on  transports  at  Yorktown  and  Gloucester 
Point.  Demonstrations  of  an  advance  up  York  River 
were  made  to  deceive  the  enemy,  and  then  the  whole  pro- 
ceeded up  the  James.  This  movement,  made  on  the  same 
day  as  that  on  which  Meade's  army  crossed  the  Rapidan, 
took  the  enemy  somewhat  by  surprise.  There  was  no  at- 
tempt at  City  Point  or  elsewhere  to  dispute  the  landing, 
which  was  described  in  the  official  telegram  as  follows : — 

"  OFF  CITY  POINT,  VA.,  May  5. 

"Lieutenant-General  GRANT,  Commanding  Armies  of  the  United  States, 
Washington,  D.  C. : 

"  "We  have  seized  Wilson's  "Wharf  Landing.  A  brigade  of  Wild's  colored 
troops  are  tbere.  At  Fort  Powhattan  Landing  two  regiments  of  the  same 
brigade  have  landed.  At  City  Point,  Hinks's  Division,  with  the  remaining 
troops  and  battery,  have  landed.  The  remainder  of  both  the  Eighteenth 
and  Tenth  Army  Corps  are  being  landed  at  Bermuda  Hundred,  above  the 
Appomattox. 

"  No  opposition  experienced  thus  far.  The  movement  was  apparently  a 
complete  surprise.  Both  army  corps  left  Yorktown  during  last  night.  The 
monitors  are  all  over  the  bar  at  Harrison's  Landing  and  above  City  Point. 
The  operations  of  the  fleet  have  been  conducted  to-day  with  energy  and 


HISTOKY   OF   THE   GBEAT   REBELLION.  913 

success.  Generals  Smith  and  Gillmore  are  pushing  the  landing  of  the  men. 
General  Graham,  with  the  army  gunboats,  led  the  advance  during  the  night, 
capturing  the  signal-station  of  the  rebels. 

"  Colonel  "West,  with  eighteen  hundred  cavalry,  made  several  demonstra- 
tions from  "Williamsburg  yesterday  morning.  General  Kautz  left  Suffolk 
this  morning  with  his  cavalry,  for  the  service  indicated  during  the  confer- 
ence with  the  Lieutenant-General. 

"  The  New  York  flag-of-truce  boat  was  found  lying  at  the  wharf,  with 
four  hundred  prisoners,  whom  she  had  not  time  to  deliver.  She  went  up 
yesterday  morning. 

"  We  are  landing  troops  during  the  night — a  hazardous  service  in  the  face 
of  the  enemy.  BENJ.  F.  BUTLER,  Major-  General  Commanding. 

"A.  F.  PUFFER,  Captain  0nd  A.  D.  C." 

General  Kautz,  with  three  thousand  cavalry  from  Suf- 
folk, on  the  same  day  with  the  movement  up  the  James  Riv- 
er,  had  forced  the  Blackwater,  and  burnt  the  railroad  bridge 
at  Stony  Creek,  below  Petersburg,  but  not  in  time  to  pre- 
vent the  troops  under  Hill  reaching  Petersburg  in  time  to 
contest  the  progress  of  our  troops.  He  also  made  a  dash 
at  Petersburg,  but  was  compelled  to  retire  with  loss. 
On  Monday,  the  9th,  our  troops  advanced  in  force  against 
the  Richmond  and  Petersburg  Railroad,  with  the  purpose 
of  more  effectually  disabling  this  main  line  of  supply  for 
General  Lee.  Gillmore  on  the  right  and  Smith  on  the 
left,  feeling  their  way  cautiously  through  the  thick  woods, 
they  advanced  in  momentary  expectation  of  a  fight ;  but 
contrary  to  expectation,  their  march  was  unopposed,  and, 
after  doing  some  damage,  the  troops  occupied  the  north 
bank  of  Swift  Creek,  three  miles  above  Petersburg. 

While  in  front  of  Yicksburg,  in  conversation  with  a 
number  of  officers,  General  Grant,  without  expecting  to 
be  ever  called  to  the  place,  gave  his  views  of  the  proper 
plan  to  capture  Richmond.  He  said  that,  in  his  view, 
two  armies  should  move  against  the  rebel  capital — one  by 
way  of  the  Rapidan,  and  the  other  by  way  of  Petersburg. 
Either  of  these  columns  should  be  strong  enough  to  fight 
Lee  out  of  his  intrenchments — a  circumstance  which  would 
compel  Lee  to  keep  his  army  together,  as  a  division,  with 
the  James  River  between  the  sections,  must  prove  fatal. 
The  army  on  the  south  was  to  cut  off  communications, 
and  threaten  the  destruction  of  the  rebel  capital  from  the 
south,  and  be  able  to  take  it,  if  Lee  did  not  fall  back ;  if 
he  did  fall  back,  the  army  from  the  north  could  press  him, 
and  besiege  him  in  the  capital,  and  by  means  of  gunboats 
a  perfect  connection  across  James  River  could  be  kept  up. 

56 


914  HISTOET  OF   THE   GKEAT  EEBELLION. 

The  moment  the  army  on  the  south  side  occupied  Man- 
chester, Richmond  would  become  untenable ;  and  under 
any  circumstances,  with  all  communications  cut,  the  city 
could  not  stand  a  long  siege;  and  though  a  portion  of  the 
rebel  army  might  escape,  it  could  only  do  so  in  a  demor- 
alized condition.  Such  being  the  views  of  Grant,  it  is  ev- 
ident what  part  General  Butler  was  intended  to  play  in 
the  campaign. 

On  Friday,  May  13th,  a  cavalry  expedition  under  Kautz 
went  out  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the  railroad  com- 
munications between  Richmond  and  Danville.  In  sup- 
port of  this  movement  Gillmore  advanced  with  his  corps, 
on  the  left,  up  the  railroad  towards  Chester  and  Rich- 
mond, while  Smith,  with  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  moved 
on  the  right,  up  the  Richmond  and  Petersburg  turnpike 
along  the  James  River.  Ames's  Third  Division  of  the 
Tenth  Corps  remained  to  watch  Petersburg.  Smith  ad- 
vanced, skirmishing  with  the  enemy,  until  he  reached 
Proctor's  Run,  three  miles  from  Fort  Darling,  and  Gill- 
more,  on  the  left,  reached  the  Halfway  House,  when  the 
troops  rested  for  the  night.  In  the  morning  the  enemy 
were  discovered  behind  a  line  of  earthworks,  stretching 
from  the  James  to  a  quarter  of  a  mile  beyond  the  railroad, 
and  constituting  the  outer  defences  of  Fort  Darling.  Brisk 
skirmishing  at  once  commenced.  The  Third  New  Hamp- 
shire, the  One  Hundredth  New  York,  and  Twenty-fourth 
Massachusetts  were  sent  to  turn  the  enemy's  right  flank, 
while  our  left,  under  Gillmore,  was  ordered  to  swing  round 
upon  the  centre  and  right.  The  attack  of  the  flanking 
party  was  successful,  and  the  enemy  withdrew  to  a  strong- 
er line,  three-quarters  of  a  mile  beyond.  More  or  less 
skirmishing  was  kept  up  until  the  16th,  when  the  enemy, 
under  Beauregard,  attacked  vigorously.  Our  line  was 
formed  with  Smith's  Corps  on  the  right,  and  Gill m ore's 
on  the  left.  Early  Monday  morning,  the  16th,  concealed 
by  a  very  dense  fog,  the  enemy,  under  General  Ransom, 
massed  his  troops  against  our  right  wing,  which  at  that 
time  was  particularly  vulnerable.  He  burst  upon  Hick- 
man's  Brigade,  of  Weitzel's  Division,  Smith's  Corps,  and, 
in  the  blinding  fog  and  darkness,  a  terrific  conflict  ensued. 
Borne  down  at  last  by  numbers,  the  gallant  brigade  fell 
to  the  rear,  with  loss  of  some  artillery,  four  stands  of  col- 
ors, and  about  three  hundred  prisoners.  Here  Colonel 


HISTORY  OP  THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  915 

Drake's  Brigade,  Weitzel's  Division,  consisting  of  the 
Eighth  Maine  and  One  Hundred  and  Twelfth  New  York, 
came  to  the  rescue,  and  by  hard  fighting  for  a  time  stav- 
ed the  tide  of  the  enemy.  Farther  to  the  left,  Wistar's 
and  Burnham's  Brigades  of  Weitzel's  Division  were  also 
set  upon  with  fury.  On  our  left  there  was  a  simultaneous 
attack,  Hawley's  and  Barton's  Brigades  of  Terry's  Divi- 
sion, Tenth  Corps,  were  roughly  handled,  and  the  line 
forced  back.  Gillmore  covered  the  retreat.  A  movement 
of  the  enemy  to  cut  off  the  retreat  was  repulsed  by  Ames. 
The  two  corps  then  fell  back  to  their  intrenchments,  the 
enemy  holding  the  turnpike.  Our  total  loss  was  nearly 
four  thousand  men,  a  great  proportion  of  them  being  cap- 
tured on  the  right,  from  Heckman's  Brigade,  consisting 
of  the  Ninth  New  Jersey,  and  the  Twenty-third,  Twenty- 
fifth,  and  Twenty-seventh  Massachusetts.  Ashby's  and 
Belger's  batteries  lost  ten  guns. 

A  large  number  of  officers,  including  General  Heckman, 
were  also  captured  by  the  enemy,  who  admitted  a  loss  of 
fifteen  hundred. 

The  cavalry  under  General  Kautz  returned  at  sundown 
on  Tuesday.  The  object  had  been  to  tap  the  Richmond 
and  Danville  Railroad,  and  the  attempt  had  more  or  less 
annoyed  the  enemy. 

Thus  the  prime  object  of  the  expedition  of  General  But- 
ler seems  to  have  failed,  although  he  had  succeeded  in 
getting  a  foothold  on  the  south  side  of  the  James.  If, 
after  his  first  landing  at  the  mouth  of  the  Appomattox 
River,  he  had  shown  more  vigor,  it  is  difficult  to  see  how 
Petersburg,  distant  some  ten  miles  from  the  James  River, 
could  have  been  saved.  As  it  was,  time  was  given  to 
Beauregard  to  gather  up  a  force  from  Charleston  and 
Wilmington,  and  he  had  little  difficulty  in  subsequently 
inflicting  a  defeat  on  Butler's  forces.  Butler  was  also 
blamed  for  not  intrenching  when  he  carried  the  first  line 
of  the  enemy's  works.  The  movement  would  then  per- 
haps have  proved  a  success. 

The  forces  remained  inactive  until  the  19th,  when  Beau- 
regard  moved  in  front  of  the  Union  lines,  and  about  mid- 
night attacked  Terry's  and  Ames's  Divisions  of  the  Tenth 
Corps.  "With  some  intermissions  the  attack  was  kept  up 
until  nine  o'clock  of  Friday,  the  20th.  A  more  vigorous 
assault  was  then  made.  In  front  of  General  Ames's  line 


916  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 

was  a  series  of  rifle-pits,  between  which  and  our  intrench- 
ments  intervened  a  field  devastated  by  fire,  around  which 
the  woods  formed  an  irregular  semicircle.  The  enemy 
came  down  upon  these  rifle-pits  in  force,  capturing  them 
after  a  desperate  fight.  In  an  attempt  to  retake  the  rifle- 
pits,  the  Ninety-seventh  Pennsylvania  and  Thirteenth  Il- 
linois Regiments  were  ordered  to  move  through  the  woods 
to  co-operate  with  a  movement  made  by  another  portion 
of  Gillmore's  forces.  Misunderstanding  the  order,  the 
troops  were  moved  by  the  flank  along  the  skirt  of  the 
woods.  Marching  steadily  along,  they  came  unexpected- 
ly upon  a  battery,  which  opened  a  murderous  cross-fire, 
literally  mowing  them  down.  It  appeared  to  the  looker- 
on  as  though  the  entire  force  melted  away  before  this  ter- 
rific rain  of  grape  and -canister.  The  loss  is  estimated  at 
three  hundred.  The  other  movement  was  successful,  and 
the  enemy  were  driven  from  their  position.  The  rebel 
General  Walker  was  dangerously  wounded  and  captured. 
Butler  then  ordered  the  navy  gunboats  in  the  Appomat- 
tox  to  shell  the  woods  in  front  of  the  left  and  towards  the 
centre. 

Butler  was  now  in  a  measure  shut  up  in  his  lines,  and 
Beauregard  was  enabled  to  send  a  portion  of  his  force  to 
the  support  of  Lee.  His  total  force  was  composed  of 
twelve  brigades:  Clingman's,  Greysie's,  and  Ransom's 
Brigades  of  North  Carolina  troops ;  Hun  ton's,  Burton's, 
Terry's,  Corse's,  and  Wise's  Virginia  Brigades ;  Hagood's 
and  Walker's  South  Carolina  Brigades,  and  Bushrod 
E.  Johnson's  Brigade — altogether  about  thirty  thousand 
men. 

On  Tuesday,  the  24th,  some  of  the  enemy's  cavalry, 
under  Fitzhugh  Lee,  attacked  the  fort  at  Wilson's  Wharf, 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  James,  garrisoned  by  colored 
troops,  but  retired  with  the  loss  of  twenty-six  killed  and 
many  wounded.  On  the  26th,  General  Martindale  made 
a  similar  attack  upon  the  enemy's  lines  at  Bakehouse 
Creek,  and  retired  with  the  loss  of  thirty  men. 

It  was  now  that  Grant,  moving  by  his  left,  was  ap- 
proaching White  House,  his  new  base  of  supplies,  and  re- 
quired re-enforcements  over  and  above  what  had  been 
sent  from  the  North.  General  Smith  with  the  Eighteenth 
Corps  was  therefore  detached  on  the  29th,  for  the  White 
House  via  Fortress  Monroe.  From  the  moment  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  917 

departure  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  Butler  was  penned  up 
between  a  watchful  enemy  and  the  river,  secured,  how- 
ever, from  disaster  by  the  gunboats.  The  movement  of 
Smith's  Corps  was  promptly  known  to  the  enemy,  who 
also  detached  a  force  to  Lee,  which  reached  him  before 
Smith  joined  Meade.  Butler  remained  within  his  lines, 
against  which  the  enemy  made  occasional  demonstrations, 
without  important  results  on  either  side. 


918  HISTORY   OF   THE    GEEAT  REBELLION. 


CHAPTER  LIII. 

Position  of  Grant's  Army. — Warren's  Advance. — Further  Development  of 
the  Union  Left  "Wing. — Severe  Battles  around  Cold  Harbor. — New  Flank 
Movement  determined  upon. — Crossing  of  the  James  and  Junction  with 
Butler. — Results  of  that  Campaign. 

THE  morning  of  Monday,  May  30th,  found  Grant's  line 
of  battle  disposed  as  follows  :  Wright's  Corps  on  the  ex- 
treme right,  extending  in  the  direction  of  Hanover  Court- 
House  ;  Hancock's  on  the  right  centre,  on  the  Shady 
Grove  road  ;  Warren's  on  the  left  centre,  on  the  Mechan- 
icsville  road  ;  Burnside's  on  the  left,  and  a  little  in  rear, 
and  so  disposed  as  to  threaten  Richmond.  Our  right  and 
rear  were  covered  by  Wilson's  Third  Cavalry  Division, 
which  had  previously  been  ordered  to  destroy  the  rail- 
road bridges  over  the  Little  River  and  South  Anna,  and 
and  to  break  up  the  roads  leading  thence  toHawe's  Shop. 
Gregg's  and  Torbert's  Divisions  were  dispatched  out  on 
our  left  flank.  The  Old  Church  Tavern  cross-roads  were 
held  by  Torbert's  Division,  with  a  picket  force  of  two 
squadrons  along  the  road  leading  from  Cold  Harbor  to 
Old  Church  Tavern. 

About  noon  Torbert's  pickets  were  driven  in  by  an 
apparent  attempt  to  get  in  our  rear.  A  brisk  skirmish 
was  followed  by  the  retreat  of  the  enemy  along  the  Cold 
Harbor  road.  Towards  five  o'clock,  Warren  began  to 
move  slowly  towards  Mechanicsville.  Crawford's  Divi- 
sion, which  was  in  advance,  towards  Shady  Grove,  and  a 
little  detached,  was  suddenly  assailed  by  Rhodes's  Divi- 
sion of  Early's  Corps,  with  great  vigor.  The  flank  of 
Warren's  Corps  being  thus  endangered,  General  Meade 
ordered  an  attack  all  along  the  line,  in  order  to  relieve 
him.  Hancock  was  the  only  one  who  received  the  order 
in  time  to  attack  before  dark,  and  he  immediately  dashed 
upon  the  enemy's  skirmish  line,  captured  their  rifle-pits, 
and  held  them  all  night.  The  engagement  was  rapid  and 
brilliant,  and  the  losses  not  large.  Warren  held  his 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  919 

ground,  about  seven  miles  distant  from  Richmond,  and 
near  Mechanicsville.  The  enemy  at  once  moved  down 
troops  to  prevent  any  further  dangerous  concentration  on 
his  right.  At  midnight,  an  attack  was  made  upon  Han- 
cock, inflicting  more  or  less  loss,  but  without  material 
success.  On  Tuesday,  the  31j5t,  a  general  advance  of  our 
lines  began,  attended  by  considerable  firing,  the  enemy 
being  little  inclined  to  be  pushed  farther  back  from  his 
•  position.  The  army  now  occupied  nearly  the  same 
ground  that  it  had  two  years  before,  when  McClellan 
was  before  Richmond.  Warren,  now  in  command  of  the 
Fifth  Corps,  was  upon  the  same  spot  where  then  he  had 
commanded  a  brigade  of  Porter's  Corps.  The  Union 
army  was  now  re-enforced  by  the  Eighteenth  Corps  of 
Smith,  while  the  enemy  was  joined  by  Breckinridge  and 
Beauregard.  The  line  of  the  enemy  was  disposed  so  as 
to  cover  the  Chickahominy,  which  is  the  outer  line  of 
defence  for  Richmond,  with  its  right,  and  the  Virginia 
Central  Railroad  with  its  left.  Most  of  the  ground  be- 
tween the  Chickahominy  and  the  Pamunkey  is  favorable 
for  manoeuvring,  being  open  and  dry.  South  of  the  for- 
mer river  are  those  well-known  swamps  which  were  trav- 
ersed by  McClellan.  Parallel  with  the  river  runs  a  road 
from  Winston's  Bridge,  on  the  north,  to  Bottom  Bridge, 
on  the  south,  on  which  are  Shady  Grove  and  Mechanics- 
ville ;  and  parallel  with  this  road,  and  north  of  it,  is  an- 
other, which  runs  through  Walnut  Grove,  Cold  Harbor, 
and  Gaines's  Mill.  Lee's  line  held  this  road  from  Atlee's 
Station,  on  the  Fredericksburg  Railroad,  to  Gaines's  Mill. 
His  cavalry  reached  Hanover  on  his  left,  and  Bottom 
Bridge  on  the  south.  This  line  was  not  straight,  but  at 
the  northern  part  faced  east,  and  at  its  southern  position 
northeast,  and  was  disposed  as  follows,  left  to  right :  A. 
P.  Hill,  Anderson,  Ewell.  The  Federal  line,  conse- 
quently, faced  westerly  and  southwesterly,  and  on  Tues- 
day, May  31st,  was  disposed  as  follows,  from  right  to  left : 
Wright,  Hancock,  Bnrnside,  Warren. 

Grant  intended  on  Tuesday  to  resume  his  customary 
movement  of  massing  upon  his  left.  Torbert's  Division  of 
cavalry  was,  therefore,  sent  to  Cold  Harbor.  This  led  to 
some  skirmishing,  which  notified  the  enemy  of  what  was 
intended.  Meanwhile,  Lee,  suspecting  Grant  would  at- 
tempt to  repeat  what  was  known  among  the  Confederates 


920  HISTORY   OF  THE   GKEAT   REBELLION. 

as  his  "  crab  movement,"  began  to  manoeuvre  for  posi- 
tion. Kershaw's  and  Hoke's  Divisions  of  Anderson's 
Corps  (the  latter  temporarily  attached  to  the  corps)  were 
sent  to  the  right,  to  the  old  battle-fields  of  Gaines's  Mill 
and  Cold  Harbor,  with  orders  to  occupy  the  eminences  in 
that  quarter.  A  sharp  fight  ensued,  which  resulted  in 
Torbert's  holding  his  ground. 

During  the  night,  the  Sixth  Corps  marched  across  from 
the  right  to  Cold  Harbor,  where  it  was  to  be  joined  by 
the  Eighteenth  Corps,  which  had  been  detached  from 
Butler,  and  landed  at  the  White  House.  The  latter  corps, 
after  losing  its  way,  arrived  on  the  ground  at  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  of  June  1st,  having  marched  twenty-five 
miles,  and  took  position,  on  the  right  of  the  Sixth,  in  four 
lines,  the  Sixth  being  in  one.  The  two  corps  then  stood 
as  follows,  from  right  to  left :  Martindale's,  Brooke's,  and 
Devens's  Divisions,  comprising  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  and 
Ricketts's,  Russell's,  and  Neill's,  of  the  Sixth.  In  front 
was  a  ploughed  field,  and  beyond  a  strip  of  pine  forest, 
where  the  enemy  were  intrenched.  Onr  artillery  opened 
on  the  left,  and  almost  immediately  the  line  moved  briskly 
forward.  The  two  centre  divisions^Devens's  and  Rick- 
etts's, with  a  cheer,  charged  across  the  ploughed  field  at 
a  run,  receiving  a  biting  fire  from  artillery  and  musketry  ; 
and  so  vigorous  was  the  onset,  that  they  carried  the  ene- 
my's first  line,  with  six  hundred  prisoners.  The  line  thus 
brilliantly  carried,  as  well  as  a  lodgment  secured  farther  to 
the  right,  it  was  soon  found  were  enfiladed  by  the  enemy's 
fire.  A  portion  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps  made  a  vigorous 
effort  to  silence  the  fire,  and  with  some  success.  The 
position  gained  was, 'however,  commanded  by  a  redoubt 
in  the  enemy's  second  line,  and  it  was  relinquished.  Dur- 
ing the  night,  the  enemy  made  the  most  persistent  efforts 
to  recover  their  lost  line,  but  without  success.  The  Fed- 
eral loss  was  over  two  thousand ;  that  of  the  enemy  con- 
siderably less,  as  he  was  covered  by  his  works.  The 
result  of  the  day's  fighting  was  the  retention  of  Cold 
Harbor  by  the  Umo,n  forces. 

The  Union  line  was  now  eight  miles  long,  extending 
from  Bethesda  Church  to  Cold  Harbor,  and,  by  reason  of 
the  march  of  Wright  and  the  accession  of  Smith,  was 
formed  as  follows,  trom  right  to  left :  Hancock,  Burnside, 
Warren,  Smith,  Wright.  Cold  Harbor,  the  left  ex- 


HISTOEY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  921 

tremity,  was  merely  an  old  house,  the  tavern  at  the  junc- 
tion of  roads  leading  to  the  White  House  on  the  east, 
Dispatch  Station  and  Bottom  Bridge  on  the  south,  Rich- 
mond via  Gaines's  Mill  on  the  west,  and  Hanovertown 
and  Newcastle  on  the  north.  The  possession  of  the  road 
thence  to  White  House  was  indispensable  to  Grant. 
Bethesda  Church,  the  right  of  the  line,  was  also  an  old 
structure,  on  the  road  from  Hanovertown  to  Shady 
Grove,  not  far  from  the  latter.  On  the  right,  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  1st,  there  was  a  forward  movement  of 
Gibbon  and  Potter,  with  a  view  to  cover  an  intended 
withdrawal  of  the  Second  Corps  from  right  to  left, 
to  follow  the  footsteps  of  the  Sixth,  already  gone  to 
extend  our  flank  in  that  direction.  The  result  was  a  rally 
of  the  rebels  in  force,  and  a  determined  attack,  towards 
evening,  on  our  whole  line,  as  soon  as  the  two  divisions 
had  fallen  back. 

Grant  now  determined  to  make  the  attempt  to  push 
Lee  across  the  Chickahominy,  and  secure  a  place  to  ford 
the  stream,  and  it  was  with*  this  object  that  the  Union 
left  had  been  prolonged  by  shifting  the  Second  Corps  to 
that  quarter  of  the  held.  The  new  disposition  was  com- 
pleted by  noon  of  Thursday,  the  2d ;  but,  owing  to  a 
heavy  rain-storm,  the  attack  was  postponed  until  the 
following  morning.  Heavy  skirmishing  continued  dur- 
ing the  2d,  without  material  advantage  to  either  side. 
Lee,  suspecting  this  movement,  had  posted  his  troops  to 
meet  the  anticipated  attack.  His  right  was  held  by 
Breckinridge's  and  Mahone's  Divisions  of  Hill's  Corps ; 
his  centre  by  Kershaw's,  Field's,  and  Hoke's  Divisions  of 
Anderson's  Corps  ;  and  his  left  by  Swell's  Corps,  all  of 
which  were  protected  by  strong  intrenchments.  The  rain 
having  ceased,  at  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Friday, 
June  3d,  the  assault  was  made.  Our  line  was  well 
massed  and  compact,  moving  as  follows,  from  right 
to  left:  Burnside,  Warren,  Smith,  Wright,  Hancock, 
reaching  from  Tolopatomoy  Creek  to  and  across  the  road 
from  Cold  Harbor  to  the  Chickahominy.  The  ground 
was  varied,  along  the  line,  with  woodlands,  swamps, 
and  open,  our  left  being  on  a  position  a  little  elevated, 
and  the  rebel  line  lying  in  a  strip  of  woods  and  covering 
the  series  of  roads  parallel  to  the  river,  of  which  particular 
description  has  before  been  given.  Promptly  at  the  hour 


922  HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT   REBELLION. 

appointed,  the  skirmishers  advanced,  and  very  quickly 
the  whole  line  was  wrapped  in  the  fire  and  smoke  of  ter- 
rific battle.  Although  the  stmggle  lasted  five  hours,  the 
first  ten  minutes  decided  its  fate.  In  that  first  rush  of 
advance,  ten  minutes  of  time  carried  our  whole  front 
close  up  against  a  line  of  works,  which  we  were  unable 
to  break  through,  or,  breaking  through,  were  unable  to 
hold. 

In  Hancock's  Corps,  Gibbon  had  the  right,  with  Bar- 
low on  the  left,  Birney  being  in  reserve.  The  two  divi- 
sions of  Gibbon  and  Barlow  dashed  gallantly  forward, 
across  woodlands  and  underbrush,  and,  again  emerging 
into  an  open  space  swept  by  shot  and  shell,  passed  straight 
up  the  acclivity  on  which  the  enemy  had  concentrated 
their  men  and  artillery,  as  being  the  stronghold  of  their 
line.  The  impetuosity  of  the  charge,  not  checked  even 
by  the  terrible  slaughter,  carried  the  men  over  the  breast- 
works of  a  salient  on  Breckinridge's  left,  where  they 
captured  three  guns.  But,  General  Finnegan,  re-enfor- 
cing the  enemy  at  this  moment,  drove  Hancock's  troops 
out,  recaptured  the  guns,  and  took  some  prisoners  from 
Owen's  Brigade,  Gibbon's  Division.  Not  until  the 
splendid  attack  of  Hancock's  Corps  had  been  made  was 
he  aware  of  the  supreme  importance  of  this  position  thus 
carried  and  lost,  which  had  been  the  key-point  of  the 
battle  of  Gaines's  Mills,  two  years  before.  This  position 
is  a  bald  hill,  named  Watts's  Hill,  dominating  the  whole 
battle-ground,  and  covering  the  angle  of  the  Dispatch 
road.  Along  this  ridge  the  enemy's  works  formed  a 
salient,  and  in  front  of  it  was  a  sunken  road.  Of  this 
road  Hancock  got  possession,  and  the  brigades  of  Miles 
and  Brooks  actually  struck  and  carried  the  works  directly 
on  the  salient.  Had  the  Union  troops  held  this  point, 
they  would  have  had  a  position  whence  the  entire  of  the 
enemy's  line  might  have  been  enfiladed.  The  Sixth  and 
Eighteenth  Corps  at  the  same  time  emulated  the  deter- 
mined courage  of  the  Second,  but  with  no  better  results. 
Charging  through  the  underbrush  and  across  the  open, 
they  were  received  by  the  murderous  enfilading  fire  with 
which  all  our  most  advanced  brigades  found  their  daring 
repaid.  The  assault  of  the  Sixth  Corps  was  made  with 
the  utmost  vigor,  and  succeeded  in  carrying  the  first  line 
of  rebel  rifle-pits  along  its  entire  front,  and  got  up 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  923 

within  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  main  works. 
Smith's  Corps,  connecting  on  the  right  with  the  Sixth, 
had  advanced  in  conjunction  with  it;  but  the  left  division, 
that  of  Martindale,  who  led  the  attack  in  heavy,  deep 
columns,  got  disarranged,  and  was  repulsed.  Smith 
made  three  different  attacks  to  relieve  Martindale, 
but  his  last  supports  did  not  get  up  in  time  to 
allow  him  to  hold  on.  The  effect  of  this  repulse  on  the 
left  of  Smith  had  a  disastrous  effect  on  the  position  of 
Wright.  It  uncovered  the  right  flank  of  the  Sixth  and 
exposed  Kicketts's  Division,  which  was  stoutly  holding 
the  advanced  position,  to  a  savage  fire  on  the  prolonga- 
tion of  its  line.  For  a  long  time,  these  latter  hung 
obstinately  to  their  conquests,  which,  at  length,  were 
wrung  from  them,  and  they  were  forced  back  with  great 
loss,  but  here,  as  on*the  left,  our  men  held  and  intrenched 
a  position  considerably  in  advance  of  the  starting  point, 
close  up  to  the  enemy's  work.  The  Fifth  and  Ninth 
Corps  on  the  extreme  right  pushed  out  their  skirmish 
lines  and  kept  up  a  cannonade.  The  weight  of  the  battle 
was,  however,  driven  against  the  position  of  Anderson 
and  Breckinridge's  left. 

In  many  respects  the  battle  was  a  repetition  of  that  of 
the  12th  of  May  at  Spottsylvania  Court-House.  While 
he  kept  up  a  threatening  attitude  along  the  whole  line, 
Grant  massed  a  very  heavy  force  and  hurled  it  again  and 
again  with  tremendous  violence  against  a  single  point. 
Seven  times  the  persistent  valor  of  the  Sixth  Corps 
carried  the  men  with  indomitable  force  against  the  right 
centre  of  the  enemy,  and  seven  times  the  strength  of  the 
rebel  position  defied  the  efforts  of  the  assaulting  columns. 
Nevertheless,  our  whole  line  was  advanced  close  to  the 
enemy — within  fifty  yards  for  a  great  portion  of  it — and, 
on  the  extreme  loft,  one  brigade  was  reported  to  be  but 
fifteen  yards  from  the  enemy.  Both  armies  kept  close 
to  their  breastworks,  the  exposure  of  a  figure  above  the 
intrenchments,  at  that  narrow  distance,  being  fatal. 
Under  such  circumstances,  when  the  FederaKtroops  ad- 
vanced, the  concealed  Confederate  marksmen  cut  them 
down  in  wide  swathes  stretching  far  across  the  field. 
At  Spottsylvania  and  Cold  Harbor  the  Confederates 
were  more  completely  behind  breastworks  than  at  any 
previous  battle  of  the  war.  Hence  their  small  compara- 


924:  HISTOKY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

tive  loss.  The  battle  raged  with  great  violence  until 
half-past  ten  o'clock  A.  M.  just  five  hours. 

Among  the  Confederate  killed  in  this  battle  were 
Brigadier-General  Doles,  of  Georgia;  Colonel  L.  M. 
Keitt,  of  South  Carolina,  formerly  a  member  of  the 
United  States  House  of  Representatives,  and  Colonel 
Edwin  Willis,  of  Georgia,  a  late  graduate  of  West  Point. 
The  Union  loss  in  these  terrible  assaults  was  estimated 
at  about  seven  thousand.  The  enemy  reported  theirs  at 
one  thousand. 

Saturday,  the  4th,  was  spent  by  the  Union  troops  in 
intrenching.  In  exposed  positions,  this  work  could  only 
be  carried  on  at  night,  the  enemy's  sharpshooters  being 
very  busy,  and  pursuing  men  and  officers  with  fatal 
dexterity  of  fire.  Our  own  marksmen  retorted  wherever 
practicable,  and  desultory  skirmishing  resounded  along 
the  line  all  through  the  day.  To  appreciate  the  situation 
of  the  parties,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  hostile 
lines  were  separated,  for.  long  extents,  only  by  distances 
varying  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards.  The 
position  of  the  corps  remained  substantially  as  on  Fri- 
day. During  the  night  of  the  5th,  Grant  retired  his 
right  wing  about  two  miles,  placing  it  behind  a  swamp 
which  protected  its  front  and  flank.  On  the  same  even- 
ing he  sent  a  communication  to  General  Lee,  proposing 
that,  when  the  armies  were  not  actually  engaged,  either 
party  might,  upon  notification  to  the  other,  succor  its 
wounded  and  bury  its  dead.  Lee  replied  that  he  pre- 
ferred that  the  party  desiring  to  remove  its  wounded  and 
inter  its  dead  snould  do  so  through  a  flag  of  truce.  The 
care  of  the  wounded  and  dead  was  accordingly  effected 
by  this  means. 

The  battle  of  Friday  was  one  of  the  most  terrible  of 
the  war  up  to  that  time.  The  movements  of  the  preced- 
ing days  had  drawn  our  lines  close  in  front  of  the  Chicka- 
hominy,  and  reduced  the  military  problem  to  the  forcing 
of  the  passage  of  that  river — a  problem  which,  if  solved 
in  our  favor  would  decide  whether  Richmond  could  be 
carried  by  a  coup  de  main,  if  a  decisive  victory  should 
attend  our  arms,  or  whether  operations  would  settle  down 
to  a  siege  in  form.  The  great  struggle  did  not  result  in  a 
success.  Probably  no  action  so  important  in  its  character 
was  ever  crowded  into  so  brief  a  space  of  time — ten  ter- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT  REBELLION.  925 

rible  minutes  in  the  early  dawn  developed  on  the  part  of 
the  enemy  such  strength  both  of  position  and  force,  as  to 
carry  conviction  that  any  victory  that  could  be  here 
achieved  would  be  purchased  at  too  great  a  cost.  All 
that  matchless  valor  directed  by  consummate"  skill  could 
do,  was  done,  but  it  was  in  vain. 

The  results  of  the  attack  on  Cold  Harbor  made  it  evi- 
dent that  the  rebel  position  could  not  be  carried  by  a 
direct  attack  in  front,  and  a  repetition  of  the  flank  move- 
ment to  the  left  was  determined  upon  ;  but  as  it  was 
necessary  to  rest  the  men  and  to  prepare  a  new  base, 
Grant  remained  ten  days  without  any  further  attempt  to 
advance.  The  time  was  spent,  however,  in  busy  prepara- 
tion to  march  for  the  James  and  then  cross  to  join  But- 
ler. The  enemy  was,  meanwhile,  constantly  on  the  alert, 
and  made  repeated  attacks  on  either  wing,  while  he  kept 
pace  with  the  gradual  extension  of  Grant's  line,  always  ap- 
pearing in  force  as  the  Union  left  crept  out  towards  the  east. 
On  Friday,  the  10th,  the  railroad  which  had  just  been 
laid  down  between  the  army  and  White  House  was  taken 
up,  and  the  rails  put  on  board  barges.  On  Saturday,  the 
enemy  roughly  handled  Mclntosh's  Cavalry  on  our  right 
flank,  while  the  main  cavalry  force  made  demonstrations 
on  the  route  between  Eichmond  and  Washington.  On 
the  night  of  Sunday,  June  12th,  the  army  was  at  length 
put  in  motion  for  the  James  River,  intending  to  cross  the 
Chickahominy  by  three  bridges,  which  occur  in  the  fol- 
lowing order:  Bottom  Bridge,  Long  Bridge,  six  miles 
farther  east,  and  Jones's  Bridge,  twelve  miles  from  Bot- 
tom Bridge.  The  enemy  held  the  river  as  far  as  Bottom 
Bridge,  where  he  was  intrenched.  Wright  and  Burnside, 
on  breaking  camp,  marched  for  Jones's  Bridge,  crossed 
the  river  and  moved  rapidly  for  Charles  City  Court- 
House,  nine  miles  from  the  bridge  and  within  one  of  the 
James.  At  the  same  time,  Hancock  and  Warren  crossed 
at  Long  Bridge  and  marched  for  Wilcox's  Wharf,  on 
the  James,  twelve  miles  due  south,  and  a  little  west 
of  Charles  City.  Smith's  Corps  returned  via  White 
House,  in  transports,  to  Fortress  Monroe  and  Bermuda 
Hundred,  where  Butler  was  intrenched  with  the  Tenth 
Corps.  General  Butler  had  carefully  prepared  pontoons 
for  the  crossing.  At  three  o'clock  on  Sunday  afternoon, 
Meade's  head-quarters  were  moved  from  Cold  Harbor 


926  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

south  of  Summit  Station,  near  Long  Bridge,  and  at  six 
the  next  morning,  head-quarters  were  in  the  saddle  on  the 
march. 

The  whole  movement  was  conducted  with  great  suc- 
cess. The  men  moved  cautiously  from  their  intrench- 
ments,  which,  for  miles,  as  we  have  already  said,  lay 
under  the  enemy's  guns.  And  only  a  few  shells  thrown 
at  the  rear,  as  it  moved  off,  betokened  that  the  enemy 
had  taken  the  alarm.  All  night  and  all  day  Monday,  the 
troops  moved  forward,  with  hardly  more  skirmishing  or 
impediment  than  that  of  their  first  march  from  Culpepper 
to  Chaneellorsville.  On  Monday  evening,  the  advance 
had  reached  Wilcox's  Landing,  where  also  head-quarters 
were.  Before  noon  of  Tuesday,  our  forces  were  all  up, 
having  made  their  movement  in  perfect  security,  and  the 
only  lighting  being  a  little  cavalry  skirmishing  at  its 
close.  On  Tuesday,  the  14th,  the  crossing  was  com-, 
menced,  our  army  was  transferred  to  the  south  side  of 
the  James,  and  the  change  in  position  fully  consum- 
mated. The  little  opposition  made  to  the  movement  by 
Lee  was  ascribed  to  the  want  of  stout  artillery  horses 
necessary  for  field  service.  Of  the  whole  movement,  a 
dispatch  from  head-quarters  to  the  "War  Department  says  : 
"  Our  forces  drew  out  from  within  fifty  yards  of  the 
enemy's  intrenchments  at  Cold  Harbor,  made  a  flank 
movement  of  about  fifty-five  miles'  march,  crossing  the 
Chickahominy  and  James  Elvers,  the  latter  two  thousand 
feet  wide  and  eighty-four  feet  deep  at  the  point  of  cross- 
ing, and  surprised  the  enemy's  rear  at  Petersburg." 

Grant  was  now  exactly  on  the  opposite  side  of  Rich- 
mond from  that  at  which  he  began  his  campaign.  The 
Federal  gunboats  and  transports  planted  Butler  at  Ber- 
muda Hundred,  at  the  very  outset  of  the  campaign,  with 
the  express  purpose  of  effecting  a  diversion  on  the  south 
of  Richmond,  while  Grant  made  the  main  attack  from 
the  north.  It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  while  the  army 
maintained  the  character  it  had  already  acquired  for  in- 
domitable perseverance,  Grant  only  resorted  to  this 
manoauvre  because  his  original  plan  had  not  fulfilled 
expectations.  He  began  from  this  moment,  to  all  intents 
and  purposes,  a  fresh  campaign.  Few  generals  and  few 
troops  would  have  persisted  in  this  dogged  and  deter- 
mined struggle. 


HISTOKY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  927 


CHAPTEE    LIV. 

Advance  on  Petersburg. — Position  of  the  City. — Assault  and  Capture  of 
Earthworks  and  Guns. — Assault  of  Saturday,  June  18th. — Repulse. — 
Aspect  of  the  Campaign. 

ON  the  morning  of  "Wednesday,  June  15th,  the 
Eighteenth  Corps,  which  arrived  at  Bermuda  Hundred 
on  the  evening  of  the  14th,  from  Fortress  Monroe, 
started  for  Petersburg.  A  pontoon  bridge  had  been 
throw  across  the  Appomattox,  at  Point  of  Rocks,  over 
which  Kautz's  Cavalry  crossed,  followed  by  Brooks's  and 
Martindale's  Infantry  Divisions.  The  skirmishers  of  the 
enemy  were  encountered  on  the  City  Point  road,  along 
which  the  advance  was  made.  At  Harrison's  Creek,  the 
enemy  held  a  line  of  rifle-trenches  with  two  field-pieces, 
from  which  the  head  of  the  column  suffered  a  good  deal. 
Brooks's  Division  coming  up,  however,  they  hastily  retired 
behind  a  temporary  line  of  earthworks,  about  two  miles 
from  Petersburg,  leaving  their  guns  in  the  hands  of  the 
Union  troops.  In  front  of  this  new  line,  the  latter  were 
now  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle,  Martindale  holding  the 
right,  Brooks  the  centre,  and  Hinks  the  left.  Towards 
sunset,  the  line  charged  with  great  determination  and 
vigor,  in  the  face  of  a  hot  artillery  fire,  carrying  the 
earthworks  with  sixteen  guns  and  three  hundred  prisoners. 
The  Federal  loss  was  about  five  hundred.  After  the  bat- 
tle, the  Second  Corps  arrived,  too  late,  however,  to  ren- 
der the  success  decisive,  and  by  the  next  morning  the 
Ninth  Corps  was  on  the  ground.  Meantime,  Kautz  had 
moved  to  the  left  and  attacked  the  enemy's  works  on  the 
Norfolk  and  Petersburg  Railroad,  but,  finding  them  too 
strong,  he  retired  after  a  smart  skirmish.  The  Federal 
attack  upon  Petersburg  had  been  sustained  by  the  local 
forces,  the  main  rebel  army  having  not  yet  arrived.  On 
Thursday  morning,  the  16th,  General  Butler  conceived 
the  idea  of  advancing  in  his  front,  to  intercept  the  move- 


928  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

ment  of  Lee  towards  Petersburg.  He  accordingly  sent 
out  a  portion  of  the  Tenth  Corps,  which,  after  destroying 
a  portion  of  the  Richmond  and  Petersburg  Railroad,  was 
compelled,  by  the  approach  of  overwhelming  forces,  to 
retire  within  the  lines. 

The  city  of  Petersburg  lies  chiefly  on  the  southerly 
bank  of  the  Appomattox,  which  thence  runs  nearly 
northeast  to  the  James.  It  was  defended  by  several  lines 
of  earthworks,  consisting  not  only  of  square  redoubts, 
but  also  of  well-established  rifle-trenches.  It  was  the 
outer  line  of  these  that  had  been  carried  on  the  15th,  and 
was  now  held  by  Biruey's  Corps.  The  abandonment  of 
the  north  side  of  the  James  by  Grant  had  not  been  fully 
credited  by  the  enemy,  who  left  a  force  under  A.  P.  Hill 
to  guard  against  any  sudden  movement  in  that  direction. 
Now,  however,  Beanregard's  men  again  filled  up  so 
rapidly  the  trenches  in  front  that  it  was  necessary  to 
hurry  up  Burnside  to  hold  the  ground  won.  That  corps 
at  length  coming  up,  after  a  forced  march  from  Charles 
City  Court-House,  a  line  of  battle  was  immediately  form- 
ed, Smith  on  the  right,  Hancock  in  the  centre,  Burn- 
side  on  the  left.  The  ground  in  front  was  rather  open, 
though  rugged,  with  here  and  there  fields  of  grain.  At 
six  A.  M.  on  the  16th,  the  attack  was  made.  Barlow's 
Division  and  Griffin's  Brigade  of  Potter's  Division  made 
a  handsome  charge  under  destructive  artillery  fire,  and 
succeeded  in  gaining  a  foothold  in  the  rifle-pits  outside  of 
the  stronger  works.  Here  our  troops  were  annoyed  by 
the  enemy's  fire,  and  Barlow,  in  connection  with  Burn- 
side,  determined  to  try  an  assault  on  the  main  works. 
But  meanwhile  the  enemy  opened  so  severely  on  Burn- 
side  as  to  show  there  was  no  hope  of  surprise.  The 
enemy  also  cut  off  the  skirmish  line  in  Barlow's  front, 
amounting  to  three  hundred  men,  with  their  officers. 
After  a  three  hours'  fight,  therefore,  the  assault  was 
suspended  till  morning.  The  right  had  not  taken  an 
important  part  in  the  contest,  and  had  lost  but  a  few  men. 
Birney's  loss  was  about  five  hundred,  and  Potter's,  in  his 
gallant  charge,  not  less.  The  entire  loss  was  probably 
from  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand.  The  enemy's  loss 
was  probably  much  less,  from  their  advantage  of  posi- 
tion. 

On  Friday  the  attack  was  renewed,  and  some  rifle- 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  929 

pits  were  carried  by  Burnside's  Corps.  About  nine 
o'clock  on  Friday  night,  the  enemy  showed  himself  in 
force  upon  Birney's  front,  but  did  not  advance.  A  little 
later,  he  made  a  desperate  and  successful  effort  to  retake 
from  Burnside  the  works  captured  during  the  day.  He 
moved  in  two  columns,  one  in  front,  the  other  in  flank. 
A  very  sharp  fight  followed.  The  enemy  succeeded  in 
leaping  the  works  under  cover  of  the  darkness,  and  drove 
our  men  out.  In  the  early  part  of  the  attack,  about  two 
hundred  of  the  enemy  were  captured  by  us,  and  in 
yielding  up  the  works,  a  like  loss  was  suffered  by  us. 
The  enemy's  batteries- covered  the  attack  by  vigorous 
shelling. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  this  same  day,  part  of 
Pickett's  and  Field's  Division  of  the  enemy  attacked  our 
lines  near  the  James.  Foster's  Division  of  Brooks's 
Tenth  Corps  (from  which  General  Gill  more  had  been  re- 
lieved) held  a  line  extending  across  from  near  Ware  Bot- 
tom Church  towards  the  Appomattox.  The  enemy  were 
posted  near  Hewlett's  House,  in  his  front.  Our  line  was 
pushed  back  a  little. 

It  was  now  determined  to  make  a  new  and  more  vigor- 
ous assault  on  Saturday  morning,  the  18th,  and  the  line 
was  formed  as  follows,  from  right  to  left:  Martindale's 
and  Hinks's  Divisions  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  "Wright's 
Sixth,  Hancock's  Second  (under  Birney),  Burnside's  Ninth, 
"Warren's  Fifth.  At  four  o'clock  A.  M.  the  assault  was  to 
be  made.  But  upon  sending  out  skirmishers,  the  enemy 
was  found  to  have  abandoned  the  works  in  our  immediate 
front  for  an  inner  series  of  defences.  New  combinations 
were  necessary,  therefore,  for  the  day.  These  were  com- 
pleted, and  by  noon  a  general  advance  of  the  three  left 
corps  was  ordered.  In  the  Second  Corps,  Gibbon  pushed 
up  an  assaulting  column  of  three  brigades,  the  first  and 
second  of  his  own  (Second)  division,  and  the  Second 
Brigade  of  Mott's  Division.  The  remainder  of  the  corps 
threw  out  double  lines  of  skirmishers  to  divert  the  ene- 
my's attention.  Gibbon's  men  moved  promptly  up  to  the 
works  to  be  assaulted,  which  were  situated  near  the  Freder- 
icksburg  and  City  Point  Kailroad.  As  they  came  out 
from  their  cover,  they  were  met  by  a  murderous  fire 
which  enfiladed  their  left.  They  struggled  desperately 
through  it,  but  their  ranks  were  swept  by  incessant  volleys 

57 


930  HISTORY    OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

from  which  even  their  veteran  soldiers  recoiled.  The 
breastworks  were  approached,  but  not  reached,  and  our 
men  retired,  leaving  their  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field. 

In  the  afternoon  a  second  storming  party  was  organized, 
to  commence  the  attack  from  General  Mott's  position. 
The  assaulting  column  was  formed  of  Mott's  Division, 
with  detachments  from  the  other  two  divisions.  A  little 
before  five  o'clock  p.  M.,  Mott  moved  out  his  force  in  two 
columns,  and  in  gallant  style  the  two  leading  brigades 
burst  upon  the  enemy.  They  were  received  with  a  with- 
ering fire  from  concentrated  batteries  and  musketry,  and, 
in  spite  of  the  most  desperate  bravery,  were  forced  back, 
with  terrible  loss.  The  charge  was  worthy  of  the  prover- 
bial gallantry  of  the  corps,  but  it  failed  of  success,  as  the 
previous  charge  had  also  failed.  The  movements  on  the 
left  by  the  Ninth  and  Fifth  Corps  were  equally  energetic 
and  equally  unsuccessful.  The  operations  of  the  day,  on 
the  whole,  did  not  repay  the  very  serious  loss  sustained. 
The  lines  remained  comparatively  quiet  during  the  three 
following  days. 

The  first  effect  of  the  transfer  of  the  whole  Federal  ar- 
my to  the  south  bank  of  the  James  was,  of  course,  the 
withdrawal  of  the  Confederate  force  which  had  confined 
Butler  to  his  intrenchments.  It  became  necessary  for  Grant 
to  capture  Petersburg,  and  he  immediately  made  the 
attack,  while  the  enemy  were  yet  unprepared.  The  at- 
tack, as  we  have  seen,  failed.  The  enemy,  having  recov- 
ered from  immediate  apprehension  for  Petersburg,  turned 
his  attention  in  other  directions.  He  intrenched  largely 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Appomattox,  as  Grant  did  on  the 
east  side  of  it.  Having  again  driven  Butler  inside  his 
lines,  he  reoccupied  his  works  there,  put  the  railroad  into 
repair,  and,  from  their  lines  as  a  base,  began  to  make  demon- 
strations in  front,  and  to  raid  towards  the  James.  On  the 
night  of  Sunday,  the  19th,  he  destroyed  the  wharves  at 

ilcox  and  Westover  Landings. 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  '  931 


CHAPTEE  LV. 

Kelative  Strength  of  Armies. — Grant  moves  against  the  Railroad  Connections 
of  Richmond — Combat  of  June  21st. — Repulsed  the  23d. — Sheridan's  Ex- 
pedition.— Movement  of  Wilson  and  Kautz  on  the  Danville  Road. — Five 
Hundred  Thousand  Men  called  out. — Explosion  of  the  Mine  in  Front  of 
Petersburg. — Failure  of  the  Assault. 

THE  consolidation  of  Butler's  army  with  that  of  the 
Potomac  had  not  added  much  to  the  relative  strength  of 
Grant.  A  similar  junction  of  Beauregard  with  Lee  had 
been  effected,  and  the  works  behind  which  the  enemy  was 
intrenched  were  strong  enough  to  enable  him  to  hold 
them  with  inferior  numbers,  and,  as  will  presently  appear, 
to  detach  a  force  up  the  valley.  On  Tuesday,  the  21st, 
Grant  commenced  operations  designed  to  sever  the  South- 
ern railroad  connections  with  Petersburg.  The  road 
running  to  ISTorfolk  was  in  his  possession,  and  it  was  pro- 
posed to  occupy  and  destroy  that  leading  to  Weldon.  For 
this  purpose,  the  Second  Corps,  on  Monday  night,  moved 
to  the  left,  and  on  Tuesday  marched  rapidly  forward  in  a 
southerly  direction,  followed  by  Griffin's  Division  of  the 
Fifth  Corps,  with  the  Sixth  Corps  in  support.  At  the 
Jerusalem  plankroad  the  enemy  were  encountered  in  force, 
and  a  counter-attack  sustained.  The  troops  then  fell 
back  into  position  for  the  night,  during  which  the  Sixth 
Corps  came  up,  and  formed  on  the  left  of  the  Second,  di- 
rectly on  the  left  of  the  Jerusalem  plankroad.  The  attack 
was  to  have  been  made  at  daybreak  on  "Wednesday,  the 
22d,  but  each  corps  waited  for  the  other  until  each  got  or- 
ders to  advance  at  once,  independently  of  the  other,  each 
being  cautioned  to  protect  his  flank  in  case  connection  was 
not  made  by  the  other. 

No  sooner  had  Barlow  struck  into  the  thick  woods  than 
he  began  to  open  a  gap  between  his  left  and  the  right  of 
the  Sixth  Corps,  and  accordingly  disposed  flanking  regi- 
ments so  as  to  protect  himself  at  the  break.  Mott,  mean- 
while, had  moved  directly  to  the  position  indicated  for 


932  msTOKY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 

Mm,  having  without  difficulty  secured  it,  and  had  begun 
to  intrench.  Gibbon  was  already  in  position.  Barlow, 
having  moved  forward  sufficiently,  was  about  to  intrench 
also,  when  he  was  suddenly  startled  by  firing  on  his  flank, 
quickly  spreading  towards  his  rear.  The  enemy,  Hill's 
Corps,  advancing  to  check  our  movement  on  the  railroad, 
was  swiftly  approaching  in  several  solid  columns,  which 
followed  hard  on  a  dense  crowd  of  skirmishers.  At  this 
time,  the  Sixth  Corps  was  far  distant  on  the  left  and  rear, 
and  a  gap  occurred  in  our  advancing  line,  like  that  be- 
tween the  Fifth  and  Second  Corps  in  the  "Wilderness. 
With  more  success  in  the  present  case  than  before,  the  en- 
emy took  advantage  of  the  error.  One  entire  division, 
with  Mahone's  Brigade  in  advance,  came  driving  through 
the  interval.  Barlow's  skirmishers  were  of  course  quickly 
overcome,  and,  with  a  quick  appreciation  of  his  advan- 
tage, and  an  impetuous  rush,  sweeping  all  before  it,  the 
enemy's  column  glanced  diagonally  between  the  two  corps, 
struck  Barlow's  Bank  with  great  force,  and  almost  instan- 
taneously rolled  it  up,  capturing  several  hundred  prisoners. 
The  sudden  recoil  of  Barlow's  Division  under  this  most 
dangerous  of  all  attacks,  a  movement  on  the  flank  and 
rear,  quickly  uncovered  the  left  flank  of  Mott,  and  ex- 
posed him  to  the  same  disadvantage.  In  his  turn,  Mott 
fell  back  also,  with  the  loss  of  several  hundred  prisoners, 
and  thus  exposed  the  left  of  Gibbon.  Meanwhile  the 
other  troops  from  Hill's  Corps  had  joined  the  assault,  and, 
having  captured  Mott's  entire  line  of  intrenchments,  now 
pressed  not  only  in  front,  but  in  the  rear.  His  right 
brigade  was  able  to  repel  the  comparatively  trifling  as- 
sault. But  his  left  brigades  were  almost  encircled  by  fire. 
McKnight's  four-gun  battery  of  the  Twelfth  New  York 
Artillery  opened,  and  was  briskly  and  handsomely  fought. 
But  the  troops  in  support  were  driven  back,  and  the  enemy 
had  already  carried  Gibbon's  intrenchments.  In  a  word, 
in  the  sudden  shock  and  confusion,  several  whole  regi- 
ments were  swept  off  and  captured,  without  the  chance 
of  any  thing  like  stout  resistance.  McKnight's  Battery 
was  then  surrounded  and  captured  entire,  though  most  of 
the  horses  and  caissons,  and  some  of  the  men,  succeeded 
in  escaping  to  the  rear. 

At  length,  Miles's  reserve  division,  with  a  New  York 
battery  came  up,  enabling  Gibbon's  Division  to  rally  on 


HISTORY   OP   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  933 

them,  and  form  a  new  line.  The  enemy  was  now  to  some 
extent  exhausted  by  his  own  exertions,  but  he  repulsed  an 
attempt  of  Birney  to  recapture  the  battery.  The  newly 
formed  line  of  the  Sixth  and  Second  Corps  again  advanced, 
pushing  the  enemy  before  it ;  and,  having  proceeded  a 
short  distance,  halted,  and  passed  the  night  in  strengthen- 
ing its  position.  The  enemy  did  the  same  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Weldon  road.  The  Federal  loss  in  the  attack  was 
large,  and  included  a  number  of  prisoners.  During  the 
day,  the  cavalry  of  Wilson  and  Kautz  had  proceeded  to 
the  left,  and  cut  the  railroad  about  ten  miles  from  Peters- 
burg. 

On  Thursday,  the  22d,  Wright,  finding  the  enemy  weak 
on  the  extreme  left,  sent  the  Third,  Fourth,,  and  Eleventh 
Vermont  regiments  to  occupy  the  railroad.  They  had  not 
reached  it,  however,  before  they  were  enveloped  by  An- 
derson's Division,  and  severely  handled.  They  lost  some 
prisoners,  besides  a  number  killed  and  wounded.  The 
enemy,  flushed  with  success,  pressed  our  men  back  to  the 
main  body,  and  then  attacked  right  and  left.  Our  line 
was  withdrawn,  towards  evening  to  the  cover  of  breast- 
works, and  operations  ceased.  Skirmishing  continued  to 
the  close  of  June  without  any  important  operations. 

Simultaneously  with  the  transference  of  his  own  army 
from  the  northern  bank  of  the  Chickahominy  to  the  south- 
ern bank  of  the  James,  Grant  sent  forth  Sheridan,  with  a 
considerable  cavalry  force,  to  traverse  the  country  between 
the  Rappahannock  and  Richmond,  and  pass  near  Char- 
lottesville,  in  the  direction  of  Lynchburg,  with  a  view  of 
penetrating  the.  valley,  in  order  to  give  the  hand  to  Gen- 
eral Hunter,  who  was  advancing  on  that  point  to  close  up 
upon  Richmond.  Sheridan  set  out  on  the  9th  of  June, 
and  on  the  1 1th  reached  Trevillian's  Station,  on  the  Vir- 
ginia Central  Railroad,  where  he  inflicted  a  severe  defeat 
upon  a  large  cavalry  force  in  his  front.  On  the  succeed- 
ing day  he  thoroughly  destroyed  the  railroad  between 
Trevillian's  and  Louisa  Court-House ;  and  early  on  the 
13th,  the  rebels  under  Wade  Hampton  and  Fitzhugh  Lee 
having  in  the  mean  time  gathered  in  his  front  in  great 
numbers,  and  his  ammunition  getting  low,  he  moved  off 
towards  White  House,  followed  at  a  respectful  distance  by 
Wade  Hampton,  who  did  not  venture  a  serious  attack 
until  Sheridan  had  crossed  the  Pamunkey.  Hampton 


934  HISTORY   OF  THE   GKEAT    REBELLION. 

then  made  a  detour  and  attacked  the  trains  that  Sheridan 
had  left  at  the  White  House.  General  Abercrombie, 
with  three  thousand  men,  maintained  his  ground  until 
Sheridan  came  up,  when  the  enemy  was  driven  off  with 
loss.  As  soon  as  Sheridan  had  obtained  a  little  rest,  he 
resumed  his  march  to  the  James  with  all  his  trains  and 
guns.  He  was  again  assailed  by  Hampton,  near  Jones's 
Bridge,  on  the  Chickahominy,  on  the  23d,  without  much 
result.  As  he  approached  Charles  City  Court-House,  the 
enemy  appeared  again  on  his  front,  and  on  Friday,  the 
24th,  attacked  with  vigor  the  trains  protected  by  Gregg's 
Division,  who  succeeded  in  keeping  them  at  bay.  The 
affair  was  sharp,  and  Sheridan's  rear-guard  was  badly 
handled.  A  brigade  of  infantry  was  sent  to  his  relief. 
He  succeeded  in  beating  the  enemy  off  at  length,  after  the 
loss  of  four  or  five  hundred  men,  saving  all  his  train  ;  and, 
on  Saturday,  the  25th,  his  whole  force  crossed  the  James 
safely,  four  or  five  miles  above  Fort  Powhattan,  under 
cover  of  the  gunboats. 

On  the  morning  of  June  22d  the  combined  cavalry  force 
of  Wilson  and  Kautz  set  out  on  a  raid  against  the  W eldon 
and  Danville  Railroads.  At  Reams's  Station,  on  the  Wei- 
don  »road,  considerable  damage  was  done  to  the  track  and 
buildings ;  and  at  Sutherland^  and  Ford's  Stations,  on  the 
Petersburg  and  Lynchburg  road,  which  the  column  next 
reached,  a  number  of  locomotives  and  cars  and  about 
twenty  miles  of  track  were  destroyed.  A  part  of  the 
column  now  pushed  on  to  Burkesville,  the  junction  of  the 
Lynchburg  and  Danville  roads,  where  a  similar  destruc- 
tion of  property  took  place,  and  on  the  24th  the  command 
bivouacked  for  the  night  at  Keysville,  on  the  Danville 
road.  On  the  next  day  the  railroad  bridge  over  the  Staun- 
ton  River  was  reached,  but  was  found  to  be  too  well 
defended  by  the  enemy  to  attack.  The  order  to  return 
was  now  given,  and  so  closely  was  the  column  harassed 
and  pressed  on  the  route,  that  it  broke  up  into  several 
bodies,  which  arrived  in  camp  at  various  times  between 
July  1st  and  3d,  exhausted  and  in  wretched  plight.  The 
losses  in  men,  guns,  and  trains  combined  to  render  the  ex- 
pedition a  costly  failure,  notwithstanding  the  damage  it 
inflicted  on  the  enemy. 

Ther"e  were  no  important  operations  undertaken  for 
some  time  by  the  army  before  Petersburg.  The  state  of 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  935 

affairs  in  the  Valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  to  which  allusion 
will  shortly  be  made,  compelled  the  movement  of  troops 
to  protect  Washington,  and  the  Sixth  Corps  was  sent 
thither  in  the  first  week  of  July,  a  result  very  different 
from  the  anticipated  accession  of  aid  from  Hunter  as  the 
consequence  of  the  hoped-for  capture  of  Lynchburg.  The 
attention  of  the  public  was  directed  to  the  progress  of 
Sherman  in  Georgia,  from  whose  campaign  against  At- 
lanta most  important  results  were  expected. 

Continual  skirmishing  was  kept  up  in  front  of  Peters- 
burg, with  alternate  success,  but  no  great  operations  were 
undertaken.  The  army  had  need  ot  rest  and  recruiting. 
Nearly  three  months  had  elapsed  since  it  crossed  the  Rapi- 
dan ;  and  having  fought  its  way  to  the  northern  bank  of 
the  James,  it  was  suffering  from  intense  drought  and  heat, 
in  the  presence  of  an  enemy  who  seemed  determined  to 
give  it  no  rest,  and  disorganization  and  lassitude  inevitably 
resulted  from  such  continued  effort.  A  contemporary 
writer  thus  alluded  to  the  condition  of  the  army  in  July : 
"  The  men,  missing  the  familiar  forms  and  voices  that  had 
led  them  to  the  charge,  would  complain  that  they  had  not 
their  old  officers  to  follow.  On  the  other  hand,  more  than 
one  leader  of  a  storming  party  was  forced  to  say,  as  he 
came  back  from  an  unsuccessful  attempt  against  the  out- 
works of  Petersburg,  '  My  men  do  not  charge  as  they  did 
thirty  days  ago.'  A  few  commanders,  too,  showed  the 
fatiguing  effects  of  the  campaign  by  a  lack  of  health,  by  a 
lack  of  unity  and  harmony,  or  of  alertness  and  skill.  The 
attacks  on  Petersburg  of  the  22d  and  23d  of  June  showed 
how  fatigue  was  telling  on  men  and  officers.  On  the  for- 
mer occasion,  the  Second  Corps,  whose  reputation  was 
unexcelled,  fell  back,  division  after  division,  from  the 
enemy's  onset,  and  one  of  the  very  finest  brigades  in  the 
whole  army  was  captured  with  hardly  a  shot  fired.  But 
when,  in  addition  to  this,  the  Vermont  Brigade  of  the  Sixth 
Corps  was  badly  cut  up  on  the  following  day,  it  became 
clear  that  the  rapidity  of  the  fighting  must  be  checked 
a  while.  There  was  need  of  rest,  recruitment,  and  some 
reorganization.  It  may  be  added,  that  the  influx  of  raw 
troops  and  of  Augur's  troops  from  Washington,  with  new 
officers,  had  temporarily  changed  the  character  of  brigades, 
of  divisions,  and  almost  of  corps." 

The  loss  of  men  in  the  Valley  and  in  Georgia  with 


936  HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT   REBELLION. 

Sherman  was  also  very  great ;  and  in  view  of  the  neces- 
sity of  filling  up  the  thinned  ranks  of  the  army,  the 
President  issued  the  following  call  for  volunteers  : — 

[Official] 
"BY  THE  PRESIDENT  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA. 

"A  PROCLAMATION. 

"  "Whereas,  by  the  act  approved  July  4th,  1864,  entitled  'An  Act  further 
to  regulate  and  provide  for  the  enrolling  and  calling  out  of  the  national 
forces  and  for  other  purposes,'  it  is  provided  that  the  President  of  the 
United  States  may,  '  at  his  discretion,  at  any  time  hereafter,  call  for  any 
number  of  men,  as  volunteers,  for  the  respective  term  of  one,  two,  and 
three  years,  for  military  service,'  and  '  that  in  case  the  quota,  or  any  part 
thereof,  of  any  town,  township,  or  ward  of  a  city,  precinct,  or  election  dis- 
trict, or  of  a  county  not  so  subdivided,  shall  not  be  filled  within  the  space 
of  fifty  days  after  such  call,  then  the  President  shall  instantly  order  a  draft 
for  one  year  to  fill  such  quota,  or  any  part  thereof,  which  may  be  unfilled ;' 

"And  whereas,  the  new  enrolment  heretofore  ordered  is  so  far  com- 
pleted as  that  the  aforementioned  act  of  Congress  may  now  be  put  in  opera- 
tion, for  recruiting  and  keeping  up  the  strength  of  the  armies  in  the  field, 
for  garrisons,  aud  such  military  operations  as  may  be  required  for  the  pur- 
pose of  suppressing  the  rebellion  and  restoring  the  authority  of  the  United 
States  Government  in  the  insurgent  States : 

"  Now,  therefore,  I,  Abraham  Lincoln,  President  of  the  United  States,  do 
issue  this  my  call  for  five  hundred  thousand  volunteers  for  the  military  ser- 
vice ;  provided,  nevertheless,  that  this  call  shall  be  reduced  by  all  credits 
which  may  be  established  under  section  eight  of  the  aforesaid  act,  on  ac- 
count of  persons  who  have  entered  the  naval  service  during  the  present 
rebellion,  and  by  credits  for  men  furnished  to  the  military  service  in  excess 
of  calls  heretofore  made. 

"  Volunteers  will  be  accepted  under  this  call  for  one,  two,  or  three  years, 
as  they  may  elect,  and  will  be  entitled  to  the  bounty  provided  by  the  law 
for  the  period  of  service  for  which  they  enlist. 

"  And  I  hereby  proclaim,  order,  and  direct  that  immediately  after  the  fifth 
day  of  September,  1864,  being  fifty  days  from  the  date  of  this  call,  a  draft 
for  troops  to  serve  for  one  year  shall  be  had  in  every  town,  township,  ward 
of  a  city,  precinct,  or  election  district,  or  county  not  so  subdivided,  to  fill 
the  quota  which  shall  be  assigned  to  it  under  this  call,  or  any  part  thereof 
which  may  be  unfilled  by  volunteers  on  the  said  fifth  day  of  September, 
1864. 

"In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand,  and  caused  the 
seal  of  the  United  States  to  be  aflfixed. 

"Done  at  the  City  of  "Washington,  this  eighteenth  day  of  July,  in  the 
r  -1  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-four,  and  of 
L  '-I  the  independence  of  the  United  States  the  eighty-ninth. 

"ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

"  By  the  President :  "WILLIAM  H.  SEWARD,  Secretary  of  State." 

Meantime,  there  was  in  progress  a  new  attempt  to  carry 
the  Petersburg  defences  by  means  of  a  mine,  while  a  feint 
on  the  northern  bank  of  the  James  should  draw  off'  the 
defenders  of  Petersburg.  The  line  of  Grant's  army  was 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GBEAT   .REBELLION.  937 

twenty  miles  long,  and  by  ostentatiously  threatening  the 
enemy  from  our  right,  it  was  supposed  he  would  weaken 
his  own  right  at  the  point  where  the  true  assault,  after 
the  explosion  of  the  mine,  was  to  take  place.  The  idea 
of  the  mine  was  due  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pleasants,  of 
the  Forty-eighth  Pennsylvania,  a  regiment  recruited 
mostly  among  the  miners  of  that  State.  The  point 
selected  was  the  side  of  a  ravine,  surmounted  by  an 
earthwork,  in  front  of  Burnside's  (Ninth)  Corps,  and  the 
mine  was  pushed  towards  a  formidable  fort  of  the  enemy, 
situated  about  two  thousand  yards  from  Petersburg.  The 
distance  to  be  mined  was  about  five  hundred  feet,  and 
the  work  was  difficult.  The  mine  was  constructed  in  the 
usual  method.  The  surface  was  carefully  measured  by 
triangulation,  and  the  gallery  was  made  in  the  usual 
shape,  four  and  a  half  feet  high,  and  about  four  feet  wide 
at  the  bottom,  sloping  up  to  the  top.  A  ventilating  shaft 
was  sunk  near  the  entrance.  The  chamber  of  the  mine 
was  about  twenty  feet  below  the  fort,  and  wings  extended 
from  it  right  and  left,  extending  under  the  fort.  In  these 
were  placed  eight  tons  of  powder,  connected  by  a  fuse 
which  -led  out  of  the  gallery.  It  required  thirty  days  to 
complete  this  work.  During  its  progress  the  Ninth 
Corps  kept  up  an  incessant  skirmishing,  for  the  purpose 
of  concealing  the  movement.  The  plan  of  assault  was 
to  explode  the  mine,  and  immediately  to  open  a  terrific 
cannonading  fr»m  every  gun  on  the  line.  This  concen- 
trated fire  would  naturally  unnerve  the  enemy  somewhat, 
and,  under  its  cover,  a  strong  storming  party  would  rush 
through  the  gap  made  by  the  explosion,  and  endeavor  to 
carry  the  enemy's  position  beyond.  In  the  rear  of  his 
first  line,  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  distant,  was  a  very 
strong  crest,  which  quite  commanded  the  city  of  Peters- 
burg. To  gain  this  would  gain  the  battle.  But  the  in- 
tervening space  was  difficult  and  arduous,  entanglements 
and  abatis  being  planted  near  the  fort,  and  the  whole 
grounds  being  swept  by  the  enemy's  artillery.  Our  own 
heavy  guns  had  been  brought  up  after  much  hard  and 
dangerous  labor  through  six  weeks,  and  with  much  loss 
of  valuable  life  among  officers  and  men.  They  now 
numbered  nearly  one  hundred  pieces,  some  of  which 
were  eight-inch  and  some  even  heavier  mortars. 

The  assault  was  fixed  for  the  30th  of  July,  and  prepa- 


938  HISTOEY   OF  THE   GKEAT  EEBELLIOtf. 

rations  for  it  began  by  a  feint  on  the  right.  Across  the 
James  at  Deep  Bottom,  Foster's  Division  of  the  Tenth 
Corps  was  intrenched,  with  a  pontoon  bridge  in  his  rear, 
and  protected  by  gunboats.  On  the  21st  a  second  bridge 
had  been  thrown  over  at  Strawberry  Plains,  and  a  bri- 
gade of  the  Nineteenth  Corps  crossed  to  hold  it.  These, 
with  other  demonstrations,  induced  the  enemy  to  add 
Kershaw's  Division  to  the  other  troops  in  front  of  Foster. 
On  the  27th,  the  Second  Corps  left  the  extreme  left  of 
the  army,  and,  followed  by  Sheridan  and  Kautz,  crossed 
the  James ;  and  on  the  following  day  a  line  of  battle  was 
formed  as  follows,  from  right  to  left :  Sheridan,  Hancock, 
Foster.  Foster  demonstrated  throughout  the  day,  inflict- 
ing severe  loss  on  the  enemy.  On  Friday,  the  29th,  the 
feint  was  continued,  and  long  trains  of  empty  wagons 
were  sent  north  of  the  river  for  display.  These  move- 
ments had  the  effect  of  causing  Lee  to  send  fifteen  thou- 
sand more  men  to  his  left.  On  Friday  evening,  however, 
the  Second  Corps  returned  quietly  to  Petersburg  amid  an 
incessant  and  vindictive  fire. 

Soon  after  midnight  of  the  29th,  the  troops  were  in 
position.  The  Ninth  Corps  had  been  carefully  arranged 
fronting  the  mine,  to  head  the  assault.  The  Eighteenth 
Corps  was  drawn  off  from  the  right  of  the  Ninth,  and 
massed  in  its  rear.  Mott's  Division  of  the  Second  Corps 
was  moved  into  the  vacancy  left  by  the  Eighteenth,  and 
the  other  divisions  occupied  adjoining  positions,  after 
arriving.  The  Tenth  and  the  fraction  of  the  Nineteenth 
Corps  remained  on  the  James  and  near  Bermuda 
Hundred.  The  assaulting  column,  then,  was  the  Ninth 
Corps,  supported  by  the  Eighteenth,  with  the  Second  in 
reserve  on  its  right  and  the  Fifth  on  the  left.  The  whole 
force  was  closely  massed,  only  the  necessary  garrisons 
lining  the  more  distant  intrenchments.  The  Ninth  Corps 
was  disposed  with  Ledlie's  (First)  Division  in  advance ; 
Wilcox's  (Second)  and  Porter's  (Third)  next  k»  support, 
and  Ferrero's  (Fourth),  the  colored  division,  in  the  rear. 

The  time  for  lighting  the  fuse  was  halt-past  three 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Saturday,  the  30th.  At  that 
hour  the  troops  were  all  prepared,  and  alive  with  excite- 
ment. An  hour  passed,  and  there  was  no  explosion.  The 
fuse  had  gone  out  in  the  damp  gallery.  Again  it  waa 
lighted  by  some  bold  soldier.  The  sun  had  already  risen, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  939 

when,  forty  minutes  past  four,  a  heaving  and  trembling 
of  the  earth  was  followed  by  a  terrific  explosion,  and 
huge  clods  of  earth,  with  all  the  contents  of  the  doom- 
ed fort,  guns,  caissons,  and  limbers,  and  the  regiment 
who  manned  them,  were  flung  into  the  air.  To  the 
myriad  of  astonished  spectators  it  resembled  a  great 
fountain.  Poised  for  a  moment,  the  mighty  column  then 
descended  with  a  resounding  thud,  and  the  swaying, 
quaking,  and  trembling  of  the  adjacent  earth  were  over. 
A  yawning  crater,  one  hundred  feet  and  more  in  length, 
with  half  as  great  width,  and  a  depth  of  twenty  feet, 
with  heaps  of  ruins,  was  left  where  once  stood  a  six- 
gun  fort  and  its  camp  equipage,  and  two  hundred  men. 
Instantly  upon  the  explosion,  a  gun  broke  out  from  our 
line,  then  another,  and  soon  a  hundred  cannon,  from, 
every  eminence  along  the  line,  joined  in  a  fire  which 
exceeded  in  intensity  even  that  of  Malvern  Hill  and 
Gettysburg.  The  enemy  responded  with  prompt  energy, 
and  their  entire  line  added  its  thunder  of  artillery  and 
musketry  to  our  own.  The  alacrity  with  which  the 
enemy  rallied  to  his  task  from  the  sudden  shock,  and  the 
steadiness  with  which  he  turned  his  fire  to  the  storming 
party,  in  spite  of  the  tremendous  shelling  with  which  the 
LTnion  batteries  endeavored  to  disconcert  him  and  dis- 
tract his  attention,  showed  that  he  was  in  a  measure 
prepared  for  what  had  happened. 

Meantime,  Ledlie's  Division  was  already  in  front  of  its 
intrenchments,  with  Marshall's  (Second)  Brigade  in  ad- 
vance, and  Bartlett's  (First)  Brigade  in  the  rear.  On  the 
left  of  Ledlie  was/  Hartranft's  Brigade  of  Wilcox's  Divi- 
sion, and,  on  his  right,  Griffin's  Brigade  of  Potter's 
Division.  The  Second  Brigade  was  delayed  by  some 
mistake,  but  soon,  with  a  wild,  enthusiastic  cheer,  leaped 
to  their  work,  and,  rushing  across  the  deadly  plain,  under 
hot  fire,  stumbled  down  into  the  horrible  breach  which 
the  mine  had  made.  The  supporting  brigades  spread 
out  and  enveloped  the  flanking  rifle-pits,  captured  two 
hundred  prisoners,  and  sent  them  to  the  rear.  The 
Fourteenth  New  York  Heavy  Artillery  were  first  to  enter 
the  gap,_  amid  the  wreck  of  the  fort  and  the  upturned 
earth,  with  the  mangled  bodies  and  dissevered  limbs  of 
its  occupants  protruding  here  and  there  from  the  dis- 
ordered, fallen  debris.  The  dense  cloud  of  dust  still 


940  HI8TOKY   OF  THE   GBEAT   BEBELLION. 

rolled  over  the  place,  thickened  by  the  heavy  smoke  of 
,,battle,  which  had  now  shrouded  the  whole  field  from 
view.  Here  an  unfortunate  delay  took  place.  Instead 
of  pressing  right  on  for  the  object  beyond,  some  of  the 
men  were  set  at  digging  out  two  of  the  six  cannon  of  the 
fort ;  others  threw  up  hasty  breastworks  against  the 
tempest  of  shot  and  shell  which  already  swept  the  place 
from  the  enemy's  second  line,  and  began  reversing  the 
slope  of  the  intrenchments  and  extending  them.  Others 
exhumed  the  struggling  garrison,  such  as  were  living, 
and  carried  back  the  prisoners  to  our  lines,  where  now 
ammunition  carts  and  ambulances  were  hurrying  to 
and  fro. 

The  time  spent  in  trying  to  intrench  to  protect  a  storm- 
ing column,  enabled  the  enemy  to  get  the  range  with 
fearful  precision  from  the  commanding  works,  and  a 
most  terrific  fire  was  poured  in  upon  men  digging  among 
the  ruins  of  the  fort.  At  length,  after  an  anxious  and 
fatal  delay,  the  Ninth  Corps  was  re-formed,  and,  with 
Ledlie  in  the  centre,  Potter  on  the  right,  and  Wilcox  on 
the  left,  under  cover  of  the  fire  of  the  two  guns,  began 
the  charge.  On  they  went  with  a  will,  struggling  over 
obstacles,  Marshall's  Brigade  again  leading,  and  Bartlett's 
pressing  on  their  heels.  At  every  step  the  fire  of  the 
enemy  from  front  and  either  flank  concentrated  with 
greater  fury  on  them,  and,  from  the  thickly-studded 
defences  of  Cemetery  Hill,  from  redoubt  and  redan, 
salient  and  curtain,  ploughed  up  their  ranks  with  bloody 
slaughter.  The  charge  was  checked  on  the  side  of  the 
crest,  there  was  a  halt,  and  finally,  the  whole  line, 
wavering  under  terrible  odds,  recoiled  to  the  fort. 

The  colored  division  of  Ferrero,  left  as  a  forlorn  hope, 
was  then  sent  forward,  but,  after  a  gallant  charge,  re- 
coiled, as  the  others  had  done,  and  plunged  headlong 
into  the  nearest  fort  for  shelter  behind  the  debris.  Upon 
this  latter  point  was  now  concentrated  a  very  feu  tfenfer, 
disorganizing  the  shattered  remains  of  the  first  three 
divisions  of  the  Ninth,  many  of  whose  most  gallant 
officers  and  men  were  already  stretched  on  the  plain. 
The  influx  of  the  Fourth  Division,,  driven  back  in  great 
rout,  redoubled  the  confusion,  and  to  all  minds  it  was 
evident  that  the  day  was  lost. 

It  was  now  only  the  question  hoW  best  to  save  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GEEAT  EEBELLION.  94:1 

troops.  This  matter  they  were  left  to  decide  for  them- 
selves. The  Fifth  and  the  Eighteenth  Corps  were  under 
brisk  fire,  and  had  suffered  considerable  loss.  A  division 
of  the  Eighteenth,  with  Turner's  Division  of  the  Tenth, 
had  demonstrated  on  the  right  (the  latter  even  gaining 
the  crater,  and  the  slope  beyond),  in  useless  attempts  to 
distract  the  attention  of  the  enemy.  He  directed  his  fire 
straight  upon  the  dismantled  fort,  now  a  mere  slaughter- 
pen,  in  which  huddled  the  fragmentary  brigades  of  the 
Ninth  Corps,  hoping  for  relief  from  their  comrades,  who 
lay  two  hundred  yards  diftant  in  their  intrenchments. 
Now  squads  of  men  began  the  work  of  retreating.  But 
this  was  a  perilous  undertaking.  The  enemv  kept  a 
deadly  cross-fire  on  every  rod  of  the  space  which  inter- 
vened between  the  fort  and  our  lines.  In  spite  of  this, 
the  disorderly  movement  was  kept  up.  About  noon,  a 
general  retreat  was  ordered.  A  considerable  part  of  the 
survivors  of  the  assault  had  crossed  towards  the  rear. 
And  now  the  men  in  the  fort,  who  had  preferred  the 
chances  of  honorable  death  in  repelling  the  enemy  to 
those  of  the  perilous  retreat,  had  discharged  nearly  all 
their  ammunition.  Left  unsupported  by  the  rest  of  the 
army,  a  final  charge  of  the  enemy,  about  two  o'clock, 
captured  them.  Among  the  captured  were  General  Bart- 
lett  and  most  of  his  staff.  By  the  middle  of  the  afternoon 
the  bloody  day  was  done.  C)ur  loss  was,  in  round  num- 
bers, about  four  thousand  men,  of  whom  the  majority 
were  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  about  one 
thousand  two  hundred  men,  of  whom  a  fifth  were  prison- 
ers. It  is  conjectured  that  nearly  two  hundred  men  were 
destroyed  by  the  mine. 

On  Sunday,  the  31st,  a  flag  of  truce  was  sent  for  per- 
mission to  bury  the  dead.  This,  on  account  of  an  in- 
formality, was  not  granted  until  Monday,  thirty-six  hours 
after  the  close  of  the  fight.  Immediately  on  the  expira- 
tion of  the  time  granted,  the  enemy  again  opened  fiercely 
with  his  guns. 


942  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT  REBELLION. 


CHAPTEK    LVI. 

Sigel's  Movement  in  the  Valley. — Hunter  Supersedes  Sigel,  and  Defeats  the 
Rebels  near  Staunton. — Occupation  of  Lexington. — Lynchburg. — Early 
sent  to  the  Valley. — Retreat  of  Hunter  through  "Western  Virginia. — 
Advance  of  Early  down  the  ValleJOand  Invasion  of  Maryland. — Defeat 
of  "Wallace. — Washington  Threatened. — Arrival  of  Sixth  Corps  and  Re- 
treat of  Early. — Various  Encounters  in  the  Valley. — Hunter  Superseded 
by_Sheridan. 

THAT  portion  of  the  grand  combined  attack  on  Rich- 
mond, which  consisted  of  a  movement  up  the  Yalley  of 
the  Shenandoah  upon  Lynchburg,  was  confided  to  General 
Sigel.  This  movement,  in  connection  with  that  of  Grant 
1  in  front,  and  that  of  Butler  on  the  south,  was  designed  to 
close  the  door  of  retreat  upon  Lee,  and  shut  him  up 
in  Richmond,  with  his  communications  severed.  The 
enemy's  force  in  the  valley  was  composed  of  the  com- 
mands of  Echols,  Imboden,  and  Breckinridge,  Imboden 
having  the  advance.  In  the  early  part  of  May  the  latter 
general  was  driven  up  the  valley  by  Sigel,  towards  New- 
market, where  a  concentration  of  the  rebel  troops  took 
place.  On  May  15th,  Sigel  encountered  their  combined 
forces  at  Reed's  Hill,  near  Mount  Jackson,  and  suffered  a 
severe  repulse,  losing  a  number  of  guns  and  prisoners. 
He  retreated  upon  Strasburg,  and  soon  after  was  relieved 
by  General  Hunter. 

Travelling  without  pause  from  "Washington  to  Cedar 
Creek,  General  Hunter  assumed  command  of  the  beaten 
army,  which  he  found  demoralized  to  a  degree  that  could 
scarcely  be  exceeded.  Nearly  two  thousand  of  its  in- 
fantry were  without  shoes.  About  one  thousand  had 
thrown  away  their  arms  in  their  flight,  and  had  to  be  re- 
armed. He  received  re-enforcements,  and  advanced  upon 
Staunton,  the  enemy  falling  back  before  him,  and  on  June 
6th  inflicted  a  severe  defeat  upon  the  rebel  General  Jones, 
near  Staunton,  capturing  fifteen  hundred  prisoners  and 
three  guns.  On  the  8th  of  June,  when  Grant  was  about 
crossing  the  James,  Hunter  occupied  Staunton,  where  he 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  94:3 

was  joined  by  Averill,  who  had  been  operating  in  South- 
western Virginia,  on  the  line  of  the  Lynchburg  and  East 
Tennessee  Railroad,  and  by  General  Crook,  who  had  also 
been  raiding  upon  the  railroads.  A  demonstration  was 
made  towards  "VVaynesboro  by  a  cavalry  force,  which  was 
repulsed  by  Imboden.  At  Staunton  several  millions' 
worth  of  public  property  was  destroyed,  and  on  the  10th 
the  whole  force,  about  sixteen  thousand  strong,  advanced 
by  two  roads,  forming  a  junction  several  miles  northeast 
of  Lexington,  and  forty  miles  from  Lynchburg.  Lexing- 
ton was  held  by  McCausland,  with  special  orders  to  make 
the  defence  good  until  re-enforcements  arrived  from  Rich- 
mond. He  made  the  stand  accordingly  ;  but,  finding  the 
town  directly  under  the  guns  of  Hunter's  infantry  ad- 
vance, and  that  he  was  being  flanked  bv  Averill's  Cavalry, 
who  had  forded  the  river  higher  up,  IVIcCausland  finally 
fell  back. 

Hunter  advanced  very  slowly,  throwing  cavalry  out  to 
the  right  and  left,  in  demonstrations  against  the  railroad 
connections  of  the  enemy.  Upon  reaching  Lexington  he 
awaited  -the  expected  co-operation  of  Sheridan  in  the 
direction  of  Gordonsville,  which,  as  has  been  previously 
stated,  came  to  naught.  Not  hearing  from  Sheridan,  he 
then  pressed  on  to  Lynchburg,  destroying  railroads  and 
bridges  by  the  way  ;  but  upon  arriving  before  the  city,  he 
found  it  too  strongly  fortified  to  be  assaulted  with  any 
prospect  of  success.  An  attempt  on  the  18th  satisfied 
him  of  the  impossibility  of  capturing  the  place  with  his 
limited  force.  Lee  now  prepared  to  avail  himself  of  his 
interior  lines  to  throw  an  overpowering  force  into  the 
valley,  crush  Hunter,  and  then  demonstrate  towards 
Maryland  and  Washington.  His  position  at  Petersburg 
and  Richmond  was  so  well  secured  that  he  could  easily 
spare  a  whole  corps  for  this  object,  and  still  from  behind 
his  powerful  earthworks  confront  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac. 

Swell's  Corps  was  selected,  and  with  Breckinridge's 
command  and  two  brigades  from  Hill's  Corps,  the  whole 
commanded  by  Early,  proceeded  about  the  middle  of 
June  towards  the  valley.  The  enemy  had  signal  officers 
upon  every  hill  around,  and  knew  all  Hunter's  move- 
ments, so  that  Swell's  Corps  was  not  dispatched  from 
Richmond  until  its  presence  at  Lynchburg  was  needed.- 


944  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT   BEBELLION. 

The  Union  troops  at  this  time  were  fifteen  days'  march, 
from  regular  bases  of  supplies,  and  were\  subsisting  upon 
the  enemy's  country,  while  the  enemy,  by  means  of-  the 
railroad  from  Lynchburg  to  Richmond,  had  at  any  time 
the  power  of  concentrating  against  Hunter  just  as  many 
troops  as  General  Lee  could  spare  from  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia.  Hunter  was  not  slow  to  perceive 
how  critical  was  his  position,  and  on  the  19th  commenced 
his  march  down  the  valley.  But  scarcely  had  he  started 
when  he  found  the  enemy  pressing  him  so  hard  that  he 
was  compelled  to  leave  the  valley,  abandon  part  of  his 
trains  and  guns,  and  strike  across  the  mountains  to  the 
Kanawha,  hoping  to  reach  Long's  Creek,  whence  by 
steamboat  down  the  Kanawha  and  up  the  Ohio  to  Par- 
kersburg,  and  thence  by  railroad,  he  could  regain  Martins- 
burg.  This  eccentric  retreat  of  Hunter  was  forced  upon 
him  by  lack  of  all  supplies,  and  by  the  fact  that  the 
enemy  had  a  railroad  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  from  Lynch- 
burg to  Roekfish  Gap  or  Waynesboro,  only  twelve  miles 
from  Staunton,  by  means  of  which  the  whole  of  Swell's 
Corps,  and  as  many  other  troops  as  Lee  might  think 
necessary,  could  easily  have  been  thrown  from  sixty  to 
eighty  miles  in  Hunter's  rear,  while  Breckinridge,  with 
the  valley  troops,  held  him  in  front.  And  as  he  had  but 
little  ammunition,  and  was  utterly  out  of  supplies,  while 
there  would  be  no  chance  to  collect  in  presence  of  a 
superior  force  of  the  enemy,  it  appeared  reduced  to  a 
mathematical  certainty  that  an  attempt  to  return  down 
the  Shenandoah  would  be  equivalent  to  the  annihilation 
or  surrender  of  our  force.  Retiring  by  the  Kanawha 
Valley,  he  confidently  expected  abundant  supplies  of 
commissary  and  quartermaster  stores  at  Meadow's  Bluff, 
about  five  or  six  days'  march  from  Lynchburg.  More 
than  a  million  rations,  about  five  or  six  days  previous,  had 
been  left  there  by  Generals  Crook  and  Averill,  under 
charge  of  two  regiments  of  Ohio  militia.  These  stores 
the  enemy  had  destroyed. 

The  enemy,  in  all  about  twenty-five  thousand  men, 
after  driving  Hunter  over  the  mountains,  lost  no  time  in 
advancing  down  the  valley,  and  on  Saturday,  July  2,  sud- 
denly made  his  appearance  at  North  Mountain,  eight 
miles  north  of  Martinsburg,  thus  flanking  Sigel,  who  held 
command  there.  On  the  following  morning  Sigel  was 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  94:5 

compelled  to  fall  back  upon  Harper's  Ferry,  where  he 
united  with  General  Stahl.  The  small  Union  force  then 
evacuated  the  town,  and  held  Maryland  Heights.  It  now 
became  manifest  that  another  invasion  of  Pennsylvania 
was  at  hand.  The  enemy's  main  line  of  advance  was  by 
way  of  Martinsburg  and  North  Mountain,  across  the 
Potomac  to  Hagerstown.  Refugees,  farmers,  and  citizens 
soon  passed  east  toward  Baltimore,  and  the  roads  were 
filled  with  pedestrians,  with  droves  of  cattle,  and  with 
wagons  of  all  species  of  construction,  carrying  such  goods 
and  valuables  as  the  frightened  owners  had  dared  to  stay 
to  pick  up.  The  terror  of  the  fugitives  was  extreme,  and 
their  stories  of  what  they  had  seen  and  heard  extravagant. 
The  panic  was  wide-spread  and  universal,  and  the  region 
for  miles  became  depopulated. 

The  enemy  advanced  steadily,  and  bythe  4th  of  July 
the  country  between  Winchester  and  Williamsport  was 
occupied  by  him.  On  that  day  a  part  of  Mosby's  Cavalry 
crossed  at  Point  of  Rocks,  while  the  enemy  occupied  Har- 
per's Ferry  and  the  south  bank  of  the  Potomac,  Sigel 
holding  Maryland  Heights.  On  the  6th,  the  enemy's 
cavalry,  under  McCausland,  occupied  Hagerstown.  In 
view  of  the  gravity  of  the  situation,  requisitions  for  troops 
were  made  upon  the  States  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania, 
and  Massachusetts,  and  the  Sixth  Corps  was  ordered  to 
embark  for  Washington,  which  had  been  nearly  stripped 
of  its  garrison  to  re-enforce  Grant,  and  against  which  the 
enemy  was  evidently  moving,  hoping  possibly  to  capture 
it  by  a  coup  de  main.  One  of  the  objects  of  Lee  in  plan- 
ning this  invasion  was  to  induce  Grant  to  retire  from  be- 
fore Richmond,  and  cover  the  Federal  capital ;  and  the 
fact  that  the  latter  general  thought  it  necessary  to  detach 
no  more  than  a  single  corps  for  that  purpose,  snowed  that 
he  took  the  proper  view  of  the  invasion,  and  was  not  to 
be  enticed  by  his  wily  adversary  from  relaxing  the  iron 
grip  which  he  had  fastened  upon  the  approaches  to  the 
rebel  capital. 

Meanwhile,  General  Lewis  Wallace,  commanding  the 
Middle  Department,  had  gathered  together  such  troops  as 
were  available  (Hunter  not  havin'g  yet  returned  from 
Western  Virginia),  and  essayed  to  retard  the  progress  of 
the  enemy.  On  Saturday,  July  9th,  having  by  this  time 
been  joined  by  Ricketts's  Division  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  he 

58 


946  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT  EEBELLION. 

encountered  the  enemy  in  superior  force  on  the  Monocacy, 
near  Frederick,  and,  after  a  severe  fight,  was  pushed  back 
with  loss  on  the  road  to  Baltimore.  The  enemy  immedi- 
ately sent  a  column  of  troops  down  the  "Washington  and 
Frederick  turnpike.  It  entered  Rockville  on  Sunday 
morning,  and  then  moved  on  towards  Washington.  Five 
miles  from  Georgetown,  and  two  miles  beyond  the  fortifi- 
cations, it  drove  in  the  Federal  pickets  one  mile  on  Sun- 
day night.  At  daybreak  on  Monday  mornirg,  skirmish- 
ing commenced  within  rifle-shot  of  Fort  Pennsylvania, 
three  miles  from  Georgetown. 

Simultaneously  with  the  appearance  of  this  force,  an- 
other division  of  troops  appeared  on  the  Seventh  street 
road,  four  miles  from  the  city,  directly  north,  and  imme- 
diately in  front  of  Forts  Stevens  and  De  Ruesey.  Here 
they  seemed  in  larger  force.  By  Monday  noon  the  en- 
emy had  a  strong  skirmish  line,  and  some  sixty  were 
killed  and  wounded ;  but  fortunately,  by  this  time  the 
remainder  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  and  a  portion  of  the  Nine- 
teenth from  New  Orleans,  began  to  arrive  in  the  Poto- 
mac, and  at  dusk  the  veteran  troops  advanced  to  the 
front,  where  the  fighting  became  severe.  The  enemy  be- 
gan to  use  artillery,  and  Forts  Slocum  and  De  Russey 
opened  in  reply  with  their  heavy  guns.  Immense  efforts 
were  made  to  strengthen  the  Federal  lines,  and  a  procla- 
mation required  every  able-bodied  man  to  turn  out  as 
militia,  and  be  mustered  into  service  for  sixty  days. 
Citizens  were  seen  on  every  hand  with  guns  on  their 
shoulders,  while  employes  of  departments  and  Govern- 
ment workshops,  who  had  been  previously  organized  and 
drilled,  turned  out  several  thousand  strong.  Three  thou- 
sand convalescent  soldiers  were  also  obtained  from  the 
hospitals,  in  addition  to  the  veteran  forces,  increasing 
hourly  by  fresh  arrivals.  The  telegraph  lines  and  rait 
roads  having  been  cut,  Washington  was,  for  the  time 
being,  isolated,  and  provisions  began  to  rise  in  price.  On 
Wednesday  morning,  however,  the  enemy  had  disap- 
peared. Cavalry  followed  in  pursuit,  and  found  him 
retreating  towards  Frederick.  A  small  battery  had  re- 
mained near  Bladensburg,  firing  at  the  railroad  train, 
long  after  the  main  line  had  retreated. 

In  the  mean  tune,  on  the  10th,  the  enemy's  cavalry 
approached  within  sixteen  miles  of  Baltimore,  and  raiding 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  94:7 

parties  made  their  appearance  in  various  directions.  One 
burned  the  dwelling  of  Governor  Bradford  ;  another  cap- 
tured a  train  in  which  was  Major-General  Franklin,  who 
managed  to  make  his  escape.  Other  forces  busied  them- 
selves in  collecting  large  stores  of  forage,  grain,  and  army 
supplies  of  all  sorts,  and  making  forced  contributions  in 
money.  The  affair  at  Monocacy  was  the  only  consistent 
effort  to  oppose  the  raid.  That  ended  in  a  defeat,  and 
thenceforth  the  enemy  for  several  days  had  it  all  his  own 
way,  and  was  enabled,  after  his  demonstration  upon  Wash- 
ington and  Baltimore,  to  retire  across  the  Potomac  with 
large  spoils. 

The  pursuit  was  commenced,  July  13th,  by  General 
"Wright,  with  the  Sixth  Corps  and  one  division  of  Em- 
ory's Nineteenth  Corps.  He  crossed  the  Potomac  at 
Edwards's  Ferry  and  moved  towards  Leesburg,  where 
Bicketts  overtook  and  joined  him.  The  cavalry  under 
Duffle,  of  Crook's  command,  captured  some  of  the  rebel 
trains  near  Snicker's  Gap,  on  the  17th.  The  remainder 
of  Crook's  force  then  came  up,  but  the  enemy  commanded 
the  stream  they  had  crossed  with  two  guns,  and  checked 
the  pursuit.  On  the  succeeding  day,  Duffle  was  repulsed 
by  Breckinridge,  at  Island  Ford  on  the  Shenandoah,  with 
1  the  loss  of  three  hundred  men.  The  enemy  proceeded 
towards  Winchester  and  Strasburg,  followed  closely  by 
Averill,  who,  on  the  20th,  had  a  combat  near  Winchester 
with  Ramseur's  Division,  which  he  defeated  with  the  loss 
of  four  hundred  men  and  four  guns.  Crook  then  joined 
Averill.  On  the  23d  the  enemy  advanced  in  force  and 
drove  in  the  Union  cavalry,  and  on  the  24th  precipitated 
himself  with  so  much  force  upon  Crook  as  to  push  him 
back,  with  considerable  loss,  upon  Martinsburg,  whence, 
on  Tuesday,  the  26th,  he  recrossed  the  Potomac.  Early 
now  again  held  the  right  bank  of  the  Potomac  from 
Williamsport  to  Shepardstown.  The  enemy  manoeuvred 
on  the  Potomac,  effectively  concealing  their  numbers  and 
intentions,  until  the  30th,  when  McCausland,  with  a 
cavalry  force,  advanced*  upon  Chambersburg,  and  de- 
manded a  ransom  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  which 
not  being  paid,  he  fired  the  town,  inflicting  a  loss  esti- 
mated at  one  million,  dollars.  In  the  mean  time,  Averill, 
who  had  retreated  from  Hagerstown  towards  Carlisle, 
turned  upon  McCausland,  and  on  Sunday,  August  9th, 


948  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

our  cavalry  again  occupied  Hagerstown.  The  same  day, 
Averill  overtook  the  enemy  at  Moorfield  and  routed  him, 
capturing  all  his  artillery,  consisting  of  four  pieces,  and 
many  of  his  wagons  and  small-arms,  and  five  hundred 
prisoners.  Our  loss  was  less  than  fifty  men.  The  pur- 
suit was  kept  up  for  many  miles.  For  this  exploit  Averill 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major-general. 

On  the  7th  of  August,  Hunter  was  superseded  by  Sher- 
idan, who  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  forces  in 
the  Middle  Military  Division,  consisting  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Washington,  the  Middle  Department,  and  the 
Departments  of  the  Susquehanna  and  Southwest  Virginia, 
which  it  was  now  determined  to  unite  under  one  com- 
mander. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  949 


CHAPTER   LYII. 

Dutch  Gap  Canal. — Movement  North  of  the  James. — Expedition  of  the 
Fifth  Corps  to  the  Weldon  Road. — Attack  by  Hill. — Severe  Fighting 
near  Reams's  Station. — Losses. — Repulse  of  the  Enemy. — Subsequent 
Repulse  of  Hancock. — Renewal  of  the  Movement  North  of  the  James 
and  Capture  of  Fort  Harrison. — Further  Operations  on  the  Weldon  Rail- 
road. 

SHERIDAN  having,  in  the  beginning  of  August,  been 
detached  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  sent  to 
supersede  Hunter,  Gregg  assumed  command  of  the  cav- 
alry. The  monotony  which  had  crept  upon  the  opera- 
tions of  either  army  was  varied  on  the  5th  of  August  by 
the  springing  of  a  mine  by  the  enemy  in  front  of  the 
Eighteenth  Corps.  This  was  intended  to  countermine 
what  was  supposed  to  be  a  new  work  by  the  Federal 
troops.  No  charge  followed,  however.  On  the  9th  an 
ordinance  boat  at  City  Point  accidentally  exploded,  in- 
volving great  destruction  of  life  and  property.  There 
were  seventy  killed  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  wounded. 

The  James  River,  a  short  distance  below  Fort  Darling, 
makes  a  great  bend,  forming  a  peninsula  called  Farrar  s 
Island,  the  neck  of  which  is  only  half  a  mile  across,  while 
the  river  winds  six  miles  around  the  bend.  This  part  of 
the  stream  was  filled  with  torpedoes  and  swept  by  batte- 
ries. General  Butler  proposed  to  cut  a  canal  across  this 
neck,  and  thus  cause  the  enemy  to  prolong  his  works, 
while  it  would  bring  the  Federal  troops  in  close  proxim- 
ity to  Fort  Darling.  From  the  very  outset,  the  work 
upon  the  canal  was  obstructed  by  the  fire  of  the  enemy 
from  Hewlett  House  Battery,  and,  to  relieve  the  working 
parties,  it  was  determined  to  create  a  diversion.  Ac- 
cordingly, a  fleet  of  transports  was  collected  at  City  Point, 
and  on  August  12th  the  Second  Corps  was  embarked 
upon  them,  apparently  to  go  down  the  river.  The  Tenth 
Corps  at  the  same  time  crossed  the  river  on  pontoons 
and  joined  Foster's  Division  on  the  right.  On  Saturday 
night,  August  13th,  the  Second  Corps  landed  from  the 


950  HISTOEY   OF   THE   GEEAT   EEBELLION. 

transports  near  Deep  Bottom,  and  moved  into  position 
along  the  Newmarket  road  on  the  east  side  of  Four  Mile 
Creek,  while  the  Tenth  Corps  was  on  the  west  side  of  that 
stream.  The  gunboats  at  the  same  time  engaged  the 
enemy's  works.  Early  on  Sunday,  the  14th,  Foster 
moved  out  upon  Strawberry  Plains,  and  encountered  the 
enemy's  skirmishers,  who  fell  back  beyond  his  rifle-pits. 
The  enemy  had,  however,  re-enforced  from  his  right,  and 
the  Federal  troops  had  before  them  D.  H.  Hill  and  Long- 
street's  Corps.  The  cavalry  of  Gregg  covered  the  right 
flank,  where  was  the  Second  Corps,  with  its  left  on  Four 
Mile  Creek,  while  the  Tenth  Corps,  resting  with  its  right 
on  the  other  bank  of  the  creek,  had  its  left  on  the  in- 
trenched bluff  at  Deep  Bottom.  These  dispositions  con- 
sumed most  of  the  day,  Generals  Grant,  Butler,  Hancock, 
and  Birney  being  present,  and  it  was  not  until  towards 
evening  that  the  whole  line  advanced.  The  Tenth  Corps 
drove  in  the  picket  line  of  the  enemy  and  captured  four 
guns  and  a  number  of  prisoners ;  but  the  Second  Corps, 
encountering  a  very  severe  artillery  fire,  gained  compar- 
atively little  ground. 

On  Monday,  August  15th,  amidst  severe  skirmishing, 
the  line  was  extended  to  the  right,  and  Malvern  Hul 
threatened.  As  the  right  was  extended,  the  enemy  made 
corresponding  movements,  and  the  day  was  spent  in 
manrauvring.  On  the  16th,  the  cavalry  of  Gregg  moved 
on  the  Charles  City  road,  where,  being  joined  by  Miles's 
Division  of  the  Second  Corps,  it  encountered  the  enemy 
under  Chambliss,  who,  after  a  sharp  fight,  were  routed, 
with  the  loss  of  their  leader.  The  column  then  pushed  on 
to  White's  Tavern,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Richmond, 
but,  finding  the  enemy  in  strong  force,  withdrew.  Mean- 
while, in  the  centre,  the  Tenth  Corps  carried  a  Jine  of 
works  and  captured  two  hundred  prisoners,  but,  every- 
where encountering  strongly-manned  works,  it  also  with- 
drew, and  the  reconnoissance  ended.  The  attack  was  not 
intended  to  be  serious  at  this  point,  and  it  remained  to  be 
seen  what  effect  it  would  have  on  operations  on  the  left. 

At  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Thursday,  the  18th, 
the  Fifth  Corps  started  from  its  camp,  with  four  days' 
rations,  for  the  Weldon  Railroad.  The  column  marched 
towards  Reams's  Station,  driving  in  easily  the  enemy's 
skirmishers,  of  whom  a  part  were  captured.  The  first 


HISTORY  OF  THE   GEEAT  REBELLION".  951 

division,  Griffin's,  reached  the  railroad,  and  began  to  de- 
stroy it  five  or  six  miles  from  Petersburg ;  while  the 
second,  Ayres's,  the  third,  Crawford's,  and  the  fourth, 
Cutler's  Marylanders,  proceeded  along  the  road  towards 
Petersburg.  At  Yellow  Tavern  they  encountered  the 
enemy's  cavalry  under  Bearing,  who  fell  back  to  Davis 
Farm,  two  and  a  half  miles  from  Petersburg.  Here  Gen- 
eral A.  P.  Hill  was  encountered,  with  the  divisions  of 
Mahone  and  Heth,  Mahone,  with  his  own  brigades  and 
those  of  Clingman  and  Colquitt,  beingeast  of  the  railroad, 
and  Hill,  with  the  brigades  of  Davis,  Walker,  and  Archer, 
west  of  it.  The  Federal  line  was  halted  in  an  open  field. 
Crawford's  Division,  comprising  the  brigades  of  Lyle, 
Wheeler,  and  Hartshorn,  were  east  of  the  railroad,  con- 
fronting Mahone,  and  Ayres  on  the  west  of  the  road,  oppo- 
site Heth,  who  came  forward  with  great  vehemence,  driv- 
ing back  Ayres  about  one  mile  upon  his  intrenchments, 
the  first'line  of  which  was  lost,  the  enemy  pouring  in  pell- 
mell  with  the  retreating  troops.  These,  supported  by 
Cutler's  Division,  gained  the  main,  line,  that  had  been 
greatly  strengthened  over  night,  and  against  which  the 
advancing  tide  of  rebels  beat  m  vain. 

The  Union  troops,  on  Friday,  August  19th,  occupied  an 
intrenched  line,  the  left  being  on  the  Boydtown  plankroad, 
while  across  the  railroad  the  right  held  the  Jerusalem 
road,  which  it  was  necessary  to  connect  with  the  main  line 
at  Petersburg.  The  line  was  formed  as  follows,  from 
right  to  left:  "Wilcox's  Division  of  the  Ninth  Corps,, 
Crawford's,  Ayres's,  and  Griffin's  Divisions  of  the  Fifth' 
Corps.  Between  Ayres  and  Crawford  ran  the  railroad,, 
and  between  the  right  of  the  Fifth  Corps  and  the  Jerusa- 
lem road  was  a  dangerous  gap.  At  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy  rain-storm,  Hill  burst 
upon  our  lines  with  both  divisions.  Mahone  attacked 
Bragg's  Brigade  of  Crawford's  Division,  on  our  right,  with 
great  fury,  overwhelming  the  Nineteenth  Indiana,  and 
pressing  through  the  gap  like  a  torrent,  thus  separating 
W  ilcox  and  Crawford.  The  latter  was  strongly  intrenched 
in  a  thick  wood  opposite  Davis  Farm.  Mahone,  there- 
fore, while  fiercely  engaging  him  in  front  with  his  own 
troops  and  the  brigade  of  Clingman,  sent  Colquitt's 
Georgians  upon  his  flank,  which  was  so  effectually  turned 
that  nearly  a  thousand  of  Crawford's  Division  were  made 


952  HISTORY    OF   THE   GEEAT   EEBELLION. 

prisoners.  Meanwhile,  on  the  left,  the  impetuous  advance 
of  Heth  had  carried  the  intrenchments  erected  since  the 
morning,  besides  driving  back  the  line,  and  enveloping 
the  regular  brigade  of  Hayes.  But  the  First  and  Second 
Divisions  of  the  Ninth  Corps  now  arrived  to  re-enforce  the 
Federals,  after  an  exhausting  forced  march.  They  formed 
quickly,  and  charged,  capturing  several  hundred  prisoners. 
This  charge  enabled  the  hard-pressed  troops  of  the  Fifth 
Corps  to  rally ;  and  the  rebels,  being  in  turn  overlapped, 
were  driven  back  with  loss,  and  the  disaster  of  the  earlier 
part  of  the  day  retrieved.  The  approach  of  night  stopped 
the  conflict.  The  Federal  loss  was  one  thousand  five 
hundred  killed  and  wounded,  and  about  two  thousand 
prisoners.  The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  probably  equally 
severe  in  killed  and  wounded.  The  result  of  this  fight 
was  to  give  the  enemy  possession  of  the  Weldon  road  as 
far  as  Yellow  Tavern,  while  our  forces  still  held  the  posi- 
tion first  taken  by  Warren. 

On  Sunday,  the  21st,  the  Federal  line  held  nearly  the 
same  position',  and  at  nine  o'clock  the  enemy  again 
attacked  with  his  usual  impetuosity,  and,  after  a  conflict 
of  two  hours,  was  repulsed  with  the  loss  of  over  two 
thousand  men,  including  Generals  Saunders  and  Lamar 
killed,  and  Barton,  Finnegan,  and  Andrews  wounded. 
During  the  night  of  Sunday  the  cannonade  was  heavy  in 
front  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  But  on  Monday  it  was  discov- 
ered that  the  enemy  had  retired,  and  intrenched  himself 
three  miles  from  Petersburg. 

While  these  events  took  place,  one  division  of  the 
Second  Corps  had  been  withdrawn  from  Deep  Bottom  and 
hurried  across  to  Petersburg  in  season  to  take  possession 
of  the  intrenchments  vacated  by  the  Fifth  Corps  in  their 
mareh  to  the  Weldon  Railroad.  The  other  two  divisions, 
Gregg's  Cavalry  and  the  Tenth  Corps,  commenced  a  simi- 
lar movement  on  Saturday  night,  and  soon  Foster  re- 
mained, as  before,  in  sole  possession  of  Deep  Bottom.  In 
a  single  night,  by  a  forced  march,  in  which  the  infantry 
outmarched  the  cavalry,  the  Second  Corps  crossed  the  two 
rivers,  and  reached  the  lines  of  the  Ninth  Corps  on  Sun- 
day morning.  On  Monday,  Barlow's  Division  (tempo- 
rarily under  Miles)  was  occupied  in  tearing  up  the  railroad 
track  from  the  line  of  the  Fifth  Corps  down  towards 
Reams's  Station.  On  Monday  night,  Gibbon's  Division 


HISTOKT   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  953 

marched  towards  Reams's,  and  on  Tuesday  continued  the 
destruction  of  the  track  in  the  region  of  that  station. 
The  weather  continued  wet,  and  the  roads  very  bad. 

On  Tuesday,  Warren  again  pushed  his  line  towards 
Petersburg,  and  busily  intrenched,  skirmishing  going  on 
between  the  pickets  as  on  Monday.  The  Second  Corps 
was  equally  busy  in  tearing  up  the  track  in  his  rear.  On 
Tuesday  night  and  Wednesday  night  the  heavy  cannon- 
ading was  repeated  by  the  enemy,  the  greater  part  being 
directed  against  the  Eighteenth  Corps.  On  Wednesday 
the  destruction  of  the  railroad  was  continued,  so  that 
by  night  it  was  comylete  from  a  point  four  miles  from 
Petersburg  down  to  two  miles  below  Reams's,  towards 
Weldon. 

Our  line  of  battle  in  the  Fifth  Corps,  meanwhile, 
extended  clear  across  the  Weldon  road,  and  our  skir- 
mishers lay  near  the  Yaughan  road,  three  and  a  half 
miles  from  Petersburg. 

On  Thursday  morning,  the  25th,  Gibbon's  Division  of 
the  Second  Corps  moved  down  the  railroad  from  Reams's 
Station,  to  prosecute  the  destruction  of  the  road.  When 
about  a  mile  below  the  station,  the  cavalry  advance, 
which  had  been  skirmishing  all  the  morning,  was  sudden- 
ly checked  and  driven  back  by  the  enemy's  picket  line. 
The  old  intrenchments  erected  by  the  Sixth  Corps  still 
surrounded  the  station  in  semicircular  form,  covering  the 
railroad  both  above  and  below  it.  Miles  (now  in  com- 
mand of  Barlow's  Division)  had  posted  his  men  as  follows : 
Colonel  Lynch's  (First)  Brigade  on  the  right ;  next,  the 
Second  and  Third  Brigades,  under  Major  Byron ;  next, 
the  Fourth  Brigade,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Brodie ; 
finally,  on  the  left,  Alcock's  Fourth  New  York  heavy 
artillery  regiment.  The  enemy  appeared,  soon  after  noon, 
in  front  of  Miles,  and  Hancock  at  once  ordered  Gibbon  to 
fall  back  and  form  junction  with  Miles's  left,  to  cover  and 
protect  that  flank.  The  cavalry  followed,  and  covered 
the  left  flank  and  rear.  Gibbon  disposed  his  troops  so  as 
to  face  down  the  railroad  in  a  southerly  and  southeasterly 
direction,  his  right  joining  Miles's  left  at  the  railroad,  and 
Miles  facing  west.  Thus  the  line  was  somewhat  in  the 
form  of  a  horse-shoe.  In  Gibbon's  line,  the  Third  Brig- 
ade was  on  the  left,  the  First  in  the  centre,  and  the  Second 
on  the  right,  joining  Miles.  About  two  o'clock  the  ene- 


954:  HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT   REBELLION. 

my's  demonstrations  culminated  in  a  grand  advance  of 
his  skirmish  line. 

The  rebel  column  of  attack,  under  General  A.  P.  Hill, 
was  composed  of  three  brigades,  commanded  by  Ileth  and 
Connor,  with  Pegram's  Artillery.  At  half-past  three 
o'clock  this  column  emerged  from  the  woods  with  fixed 
bayonets,  and  advanced  at  a  rapid  pace  with  loud  cheers. 
The  column  was  smitten  with  a  concentrated  fire  from 
four  batteries  and  musketry,  but  penetrated  to  within 
twenty  paces  of  the  line,  when  it  recoiled.  The  Federals 
had  suffered  severely  from  a  musketry  fire  from  the  ene- 
my's right  to  cover  this  charge.  The  charge  was  repeated 
an  hour  later,  with  similar  results.  The  enemy  then 
brought  up  his  batteries,  which  soon  opened  a  very  severe 
concentric  fire  upon  the  circular  position  of  the  federals. 
The  shot  that  passed  the  troops  of  Miles  did  considerable 
execution  upon  those  of  Gibbon.  This  was  sustained  for 
twenty  minutes,  when  the  fire  suddenly  ceased,  and  with 
loud  yells  the  enemy  sprang  forward  to  a  fourth  assault, 
charging  furiously  with  fixed  bayonets,  and  without  firing 
a  shot.  The  distance  he  had  to  pass  over  from  the  woods 
to  the  line  was  not  great,  and  the  efficiency  of  our  fire 
being  destroyed  by  the  previous  cannonade,  he  gained  the 
breastworks,  and  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight  broke  the  line, 
forcing  Miles  back,  and  capturing  several  guns.  To  stop 
this  irruption  a  portion  of  Gibbon's  men  were  hurried  to 
support  Miles  across  a  distance  of  half  a  mile,  exposed  to 
heavy  fire.  This  had  the  effect  of  checking  the  enemy 
for  a  short  space,  but  the  dismounted  rebel  cavalry,  under 
Wade  Hampton,  seized  the  moment  to  charge  the  defeated 
line  of  Gibbon,  and  carried  the  works,  and  once  more 
Gibbon  was  hurried  back  to  restore  the  fight  in  that  direc- 
tion ;  but  this  time  in  vain.  The  enemy  crowded  forward 
on  all  sides,  inflicting  severe  losses  on  the  overpowered 
Unionists.  Some  regiments  were  reduced  to  mere  skele- 
tons ;  of  the  Massachusetts  Twentieth,  one  of  the  best  in 
the  .army,  very  few  remained.  As  the  night  approached, 
Hancock  withdrew  his  troops,  leaving  Keams's  Station  in 
possession  of  the  enemy.  The  Federal  loss  was  very 
heavy,  including  two  thousand  five  hundred  prisoners, 
one  thousand  killed  and  wounded,  seven  colors,  and  nine 
guns. 

That  the  enemy  did  not  accomplish  this  feat  without 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   EEBELLION.  955 

receiving  severe  punishment,  is  apparent  from  the  follow- 
ing dispatches  from  General  Meade : — 

"SECOND  CORPS — 12.30  p.  M. — August  26,  1864. 

"  A  safeguard  that  was  left  on  the  battle-field  remained  there  after  day- 
light this  morning. 

"  At  that  time  the  enemy  had  all  disappeared,  leaving  their  dead  on  the 
field  unburied.  This  shows  how  severely  they  were  punished,  and,  doubt- 
less hearing  of  the  arrival  of  re-enforcements,  they  feared  the  results  to-day 
if  they  remained. 

(Signed)  "G.  G.  MEADE,  Major- General'1 

"  SECOND  ARMY  CORPS,  August  26,  1864 — 1  p.  M. 
"  To  Lieutenant-General  GRANT  : 

"  Since  sending  my  last  dispatch,  I  have  conversed  with  the  safeguard 
referred  to.  He  did  not  leave  the  field  until  after  sunrise.  At  that  time 
nearly  all  the  enemy  had  left,  moving  towards  Petersburg.  He  says  they 
abandoned  not  only  their  dead,  but  their  wounded  also.  He  conversed 
with  an  officer,  who  said  their  losses  were  greater  than  ever  before  during 
the  war. 

"  The  safeguard  says  he  was  over  the  field,  and  it  was  covered  with  the 
enemy's  dead  and  wounded.  He  has  seen  a  great  many  battle-fields,  but 
never  such  a  sight.  Nearly  all  the  enemy's  and  all  our  wounded  were 
brought  off,  but  our  dead  were  unburied.  I  have  instructed  General  Gregg 
to  make  an  effort  to  send  a  party  to  the  field  and  bury  our  dead. 

"  G.  G.  MEADE.  Major-  General." 

The  results  of  this  battle  put  the  enemy  in  possession 
of  the  Weldon  Railroad  as  far  as  Yellow  Tavern.  Reams's 
is  ten  miles  from  Petersburg.  The  Federal  troops  still 
held  three  or  four  miles^of  railroad.  On  the  same  day, 
Butler's  picket  lines  were  driven  in,  with  some  loss,  but 
were  soon  restored. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  now  maintained  its  position 
for  several  weeks  without  attempting  any  important  enter- 
prise, although  each  day  was  marked  by  some  of  those 
events  which  are  unavoidable  where  two  armies  are  in 
such  close  proximity  to  each  other.  A  persistent  shelling 
was  kept  up  by  General  Grant.  The  operations  in  the 
valley  continued  to  attract  attention,  but  the  movements 
of  Sherman  in  Georgia  were  watched  with  the  utmost 
anxiety.  He  had  operated  against  Johnston  and  Hood 
with  more  or  less  success,  until,  on  the  4th  of  September, 
the  capture  of  Atlanta  was  announced  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  and  a  salute  of  one  hundred  shotted  guns  was 
ordered,  to  which  the  enemy  briskly  responded.  On  the 
14th  of  September  a  remarkable  raid  was  successfully 
performed  by  the  enemy.  A  herd  of  two  thousand  five 
hundred  head  of  cattle,  destined  for  the  consumption  of 


956  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  was  grazing  near  Coggin's 
Point,  on  the  James  River,  guarded  by  two  regiments  of 
Kautz's  Cavalry.  Wade  Hampton,  with  W.  F.  H.  Lee's 
Cavalry  Division  and  Rosser's  and  Dearing's  Brigades, 
moved  from  Ream's  Station  entirely  around  our  extreme 
left,  broke  Kautz's  picket  line,  overpowered  the  Union 
Cavalry,  and  captured  and  carried  off  a  number  of  prison- 
ers and  the  whole  of  the  cattle.  Gregg's  and  Kautz's 
Cavalry  Divisions  pursued,  but  without  effect. 

In  the  last  week  of  September  preparations  were  made 
by  General  Grant  to  renew  the  attack  upon  Richmond, 
and  he  seems  to  have  drawn  inspiration  from  the  success 
of  Sherman,  in  obtaining  possession  of  Atlanta  by  strat- 
egy, where  force  was  unavailing.  To  this  end,  a  simul- 
taneous attack  at  both  extremities  of  the  line  was  organ- 
ized. That  on  the  right,  by  the  Eighteenth  and  Tenth 
Corps,  with  the  cavalry  of  Kautz,  was  undertaken  in  the 
hope  of  compelling  the  enemy  to  send  his  troops  from  the 
defence  of  Petersburg  to  his  left.  The  idea  of  compel- 
ling the  enemy  to  weaken  one  point  for  the  defence  of 
another,  seems,  however,  not  to  have  been  fruitful  of 
success.  The  celerity  with  which  troops  appeared  at  the 
assailed  points,  indicated  great  facilities  for  their  trans- 
portation and  rare  energy  in  their  movements. 

On  the  night  of  Wednesday,  September  28th,  the  two 
corps  of  Butler  passed  the  James  on  muffled  pontoons, 
the  Tenth  to  Deep  Bottom,  four  miles  from  Dutch  Gap, 
and  the  Eighteenth  to  Aiken's  Landing,  which  is  half- 
way between  Dutch  Gap  and  Deep  Bottom.  The  Eigh- 
teenth Corps,  General  Ord,  at  aaylight  of  the  29th, 
proceeded  by  the  Yarina  road  towards  its  junction  with 
the  Newmarket  road,  driving  in  the  enemy's  skirmishers, 
as  it  advanced  toward  Chapin's  Farm,  where  a  long  line 
of  intrenchments  runs  in  a  westerly  direction  to  the 
river,  terminating  in  a  strong  work  known  as  Battery 
Harrison.  These  works  did  not  form  part  of  the  de- 
fences proper  of  Richmond,  but  were  covered  by  the  fire 
from  works  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and  by  that  of 
the  enemy's  gunboats.  The  line  of  advance  was  formed 
left  to  right  of  the  brigades  of  Stannard,  Burnham,  Rob- 
erts, and  Heckman.  The  line  advanced  under  a  terrible 
fire  of  artillery,  and  the  enemy  precipitately  fled  to  other 
works  in  the  rear.  The  result  was  the  capture  of  sixteen 


HISTOKY   OF   THE   GEEAT  REBELLION.  957 

funs    and   one  hundred  and   fifty  prisoners ;    but  the 
re  from  the  enemy's  guns  was  so  intense  that  it  was 
found    impossible    to    hold    the    works;    and    General 
Weitzel  abandoned  them,  concentrating  his  troops  on  the 
left. 

Meanwhile  the  Tenth  Corps,  now  commanded  by  Bir- 
ney,  proceeded  from  Deep  Bottom  towards  .Newmarket, 
encountering  the  skirmishers  of  the  enemy,  but  no  serious 
opposition  until  it  reached  the  point  where  the  Kingsland 
road  crosses  the  Newmarket  road.  Here  a  small  force 
held  Newmarket  Heights,  which  were  readily  carried, 
though  with  some  loss.  The  enemy,  with  the  loss  of 
some  five  hundred,  then  retired  upon  Laurel  Hill,  six 
miles  from  Richmond,  at  the  junction  of  the  Varina  and 
Newmarket  roads,  where  was  a  line  of  strong  earthworks, 
with  a  wide  and  deep  ditch  in  front.  The  place  was  at 
once  assaulted,  but  proved  too  powerful  to  be  carried 
with  the  limited  force  at  Birney's  disposal,  and  at  night 
he  withdrew  his  troops  to  the  intrenchments  in  his  rear, 
where  he  remained  until  two  o'clock  on  the  30th.  The 
Union  line  was  now  formed  of  the  Eighteenth  and  Tenth 
Corps,  and  the  enemy,  having  been  re-enforced  from 
Richmond  under  Hoke,  fell  with  great  fury  on  the  divi- 
sion of  Stannard.  Deploying  in  three  strong  lines  at  the 
edge  of  the  wood,  he  charged  with  great  promptitude, 
under  cover  of  a  hot  shelling  from  his  iron-clads  in  the 
river,  and  an  annoying  enfilading  fire  from  the  batteries 
on  the  bank.  A  well-directed,  rolling  musketry  fire  sent 
the  rebels  reeling  back  to  the  wood,  before  they  could 
reach  the  intrenchments.  Again  and  still  a  third  time 
they  rallied,  were  re-formed,  and  made  the  charge.  But, 
though  they  got  near  the  works,  it  was  only  to  be  re- 
pulsed with  great  slaughter.  Our  men  had  been  in- 
structed to  lower  their  pieces,  and  the  musketry  fire  was 
at  once  incessant  and  murderous.  On  the  breaking  of 
the  enemy,  General  "Weitzel  succeeded  in  cutting  off  over 
two  hundred  prisoners,  including  twenty  officers.  The 
enemy's  total  loss  was  probably  a  thousand  men,  and  ours 
probably  less  than  five  hundred.  Among  the  wounded 
officers  was  General  Stannard,  who  lost  an  a,rm. 

After  this  movement,  little  of  importance  took  place 
until  Friday,  October  7th.  The  Federal  line  was  formed 
of  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  on  the  left,  the  Tenth  on  the 


958  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION. 

centre  and  right,  and  the  cavalry  on  the  extreme  right,  on 
the  Darbytown  road.  The  left  was  intrenched  at  Battery 
Harrison,  about  ten  miles  from  Richmond,  and  the  right 
about  five  miles  from  Richmond,  in  an  air  line  on  the 
Charles  City  road.  At  early  dawn  on  the  7th,  Anderson, 
with  Hoke's  and  Field's  Divisions,  advanced  down  the 
Darbytown  and  Charles  City  roads,  and  attacked  Kautz's 
Division  with  such  suddenness  and  fury,  that  the  whole 
broke  and  fled.  This  disaster  gave  the  enemy  possession? 
of  the  Darbytown  road,  and  pressing  on  in  pursuit,  they 
soon  encountered  our  right  centre,  the  right  of  the  Tenth 
Corps.  Meanwhile,  the  cavalry  had  gained  in  their  flight 
Signal  Hill  and  Newmarket  Heights.  Birney  held  a 
strongly  intrenched  line,  with  the  right  flank  refused. 
On  the  right  was  Terry's  First  Division,  lying  along  the 
refused  flank,  and  covering  the  Newmarket  road.  His 
troops  were  in  rifle-pits,  in  heavy  woods.  The  ground  on 
the  left  of  the  line  was  open,  and  here  the  artillery  was 
posted — four  six-gun  batteries — which  swept  not  only  its 
own  front,  but  shelled  the  ground  by  which  the  right 
could  be  reached.  Proper  and  skilful  dispositions  were 
briskly  made  on  the  stampede  of  the  cavalry,  and,  before 
the  enemy  was  on  him,  Terry  was  ready. 

As  the  enemy  approached,  he  was  greeted  with  a  heavy 
cross-fire  of  artillery  from  our  left,  in  answer  to  which  he 
got  two  batteries  into  position.  These,  however,  were 
soon  overmatched.  Meanwhile,  Field's  Division  moved 
up  in  excellent  order  to  the  assault,  dashing  over  the 
open  at  double-quick,  and  succeeded  in  gaining  the  woods 
on  our  right.  Not  only,  however,  was  the  open  made 
dangerous  by  artillery,  but  the  partially  felled  woods  were 
difficult  of  penetration.  Our  infantry  remained  quiet 
until  the  enemy  was  very  close,  when  all  four  brigades, 
rising  from  their  half  ambush,  poured  into  him  a  sudden 
and  destructive  fire. 

After  a  protracted  engagement,  the  enemy,  finding  his 
efforts  vain,  withdrew  in  great  confusion  along  the  cen- 
tral road,  followed  closely  by  Terry.  He  finally  retired 
upon  the  Charles  City  road,  thus  leaving  the  central  road 
again  in  our  possession.  The  troops  enjoyed  an  interval 
of  repose  until  the  13th,  when  General  Terry,  temporarily 
in  command  of  the  Tenth  Corps,  moved  out  before  dawn 
upon  the  Darbytown  road  to  the  scene  of  Kautz's  defeat 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GEE  AT   KEBELLION.  959 

on  the  7th.  The  enemy  had,  in  the  interval,  constructed 
many  new  works,  one  of  which  was  ineffectually  assaulted 
by  Pond's  Brigade.  The  enemy  in  turn  made  a  charge 
upon  our  lines.  This  was  succeeded  by  the  return  of  the 
Federal  troops  to  their  intrenchments. 


960  HISTORY   OF  THE  GKEAT  REBELLION. 


CHAPTER  LVIII. 

Operations  in  Tennessee. — Sherman'a  Raid  through  Mississippi. — Failure  of 
Smith's  Co-operative  Movement. — Invasion  of  Western  Tennessee  and 
Kentucky  by  Forrest. — Massacre  at  Fort  Pillow. 

LONGSTKEET,  after  his  retreat  upon  Rogers ville,  con- 
tinued to  remain  some  time  in  Eastern  Tennessee,  appar- 
ently threatening  Kuoxville.  His  communications  with 
Lee,  temporarily  interrupted  by  Averill,  in  a  daring  raid 
into  Southwestern  Virginia,  were  soon  restored,  and  Lee 
had  abundant  opportunity,  during  tjie  inactivity  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  in  the  winter  of  1863-4,  to  re-en- 
force him,  of  which,  however,  he  did  not  take  advantage. 
Longstreet  accordingly  contented  himself  with  merely 
threatening  Knoxville,  while  Johnston,  who  had  succeeded 
Bragg,  occupied  Dalton,  thirty-eight  miles  south  of  Chat- 
tanooga. Longstreet  ultimately  returned  to  the  rebel 
army  in  Virginia,  and  upon  his  departure  the  Ninth 
Corps  was  sent  to  re-enforce  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
During  January,  1864,  the  enemy  sent  several  expedi- 
tions into  Tennessee.  Johnston's  Brigade,  of  Rhoddy's 
command,  crossed  the  Tennessee  River  at  Bainbridge, 
three  miles  below  Florence,  and  at  Newport  Ferry,  six 
miles  from  the  same  point,  intending  to  make  a  junction 
with  a  brigade  of  infantry  which  was  expected  to  cross 
the  river  at  Lamb's  and  Brown's  Ferry,  and  thence  pro- 
ceed to  Alton's,  to  capture  the  Union  force  there.  They 
were  engaged,  fifteen  of  them  killed,  and  quite  a  number 
wounded  and  taken  prisoners.  Our  loss  was  ten  wound- 
ed. The  operations  of  the  rebel  General  Forrest  were  in 
no  degree  more  successful.  At  the  close  of  January, 
General  Rosecrans  was  assigned  to  the  Department  of 
Missouri,  and  General  Schofield  resumed  command  of  the 
Twenty-third  Corps,  constituting  the  Army  of  the  Ohio, 
and,  with  it,  of  the  Department  of  Ohio. 

A  combined  movement  was  now  formed  against  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GEEAT  EEBELLION.  961 

enemy  in  the  Southwest.  General  Sherman  was  to 
march  east  from  Yicksburg  on  the  3d  of  February  into 
the  interior  of  the  Gulf  States,  and,  in  co-operation  with 
him,  Generals  Smith  and  Grierson,  at  the  head  of  a 
cavalry  force,  were  to  move  south  from  Memphis.  In 
aid  of  these  operations,  Schofield  was  directed  to  threaten 
Longstreet  in  the  neighborhood  of  Knoxville,  and  Thomas 
to  press  Johnston,  while  the  navy  attacked  Mobile,  and 
General  Banks  was  to  operate  against  Shreveport,  and 
Kilpatrick  conduct  a  raid  on  Richmond.  In  accordance 
with  this  plan,  on  February  3d,  a  strong  column,  com- 
posed of  the  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  Army  Corps, 
under  command  of  Sherman,  took  up  an  easterly  line  of 
march  from  Yicksburg,  following  the  line  of  the  South- 
ern Mississippi  Railroad.  By  following  the  prolongation 
of  this  line,  the  column  would  strike  Meridian  (one 
hundred  and  forty  miles),  Selma  (two  hundred  and  fifty 
miles),  Montgomery  (three  hundred  miles),  and  double 
railroad  and  double  river  communications  would  be 
opened  up  with  the  Gulf.  The  Pearl,  the  Tombigbee, 
and  the  Alabama — rivers  leading  into  the  heart  of  Mis- 
sissippi and  Alabama — would  thus  be  thrown  open  to 
our  gunboats.  Jn  a  word,  the  great  centre  of  productive 
force  would  be  seized.  At  the  same  time  that  Sherman's 
force  was  pursuing  the  line  indicated,  another  very 
powerful  cavalry  column,  twelve  thousand  strong,  under 
Generals  Smith  and  Grierson,  was  to  set  out  from  Corinth 
and  Holly  Springs,  to  follow  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road southward.  On  February  5th,  the  two  corps,  under 
Generals  McPherson  and  Hurlbut,  were  across  the  Big 
Black  River,  and  advanced,  driving  the  rebel  Greneral 
Polk  before  them,  and  inflicting  immense  damage  upon 
the  enemy.  At  Meridian,  the  great0  rail  way  centre  of 
the  Southwest,  which  Sherman  reached  about  the  middle 
of  the  month,  he  destroyed  the  arsenal  filled  with  valua- 
ble stores  and  machinery,  burned  a  large  number  of 
Government  warehouses  filled  with  military  stores  and 
ammunition,  and  rendered  useless  a  number  of  mills. 
At  Meridian  he  also  made,  in  his  own  words,  "  the  most 
complete  destruction  of  railroads  ever  beheld."  Sixty 
miles  of  track,  besides  depots,  bridges,  and  rolling  stock, 
were  thoroughly  destroyed,  and  several  towns  burned  or 
desolated.  Having  waited  at  Meridian  a  week  without 

59 


962  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION. 

news  of  Smith,  he  retraced  his  steps  to  the  Mississippi, 
carrying  with  him  over  eight  thousand  liberated  slaves, 
and  an  immense  amount  of  spoils.  The  resistance 
offered  by  the  enemy  was  so  trifling  that  the  total  Union 
loss  was  less  than  two  hundred. 

Meantime  weeks  had  been  spent  in  gathering  together 
and  properly  organizing  all  the  available  cavalry  in 
"Western  Tennessee  and  Northern  Mississippi.  To  supply 
troops  for  these  movements,  Corinth,  and  the  line  of  the 
Memphis  and  Charleston  road  as  far  east  as  General 
Logan's  outposts,  had  been  abandoned,  the  fortifications 
blown  up,  and  the  public  property  removed.  Common 
report  put  the  aggregate  finally  collected  at  ten  thousand 
horsemen.  The  number  was  so  large  that  General 
Smith  felt  warranted  in  writing  as  follows,  to  a  friend 
in  Buffalo,  under  date  of  Colliersville,  February  9th  : 

"  I   expect  to  start  to-morrow  or  next   day  with* 

thousand  cavalry,  for  the  bowels  of  Dixie.     The  rebels 

have  about thousand  in  Mississippi,  which  they  can, 

if  they  like,  concentrate  to  oppose  me.  The  force,  it  is 
safe  to  say,  was  larger  and  better  equipped  than  any 
before  collected  during  this  war  to  execute  a  similar  mis- 
sion. As  it  was  essential  to  the  complete  achievement 
of  General  Sherman's  plan  of  campaign  that  this  cavalry 
column  should  move  forward  promptly,  every  precaution 
was  taken  to  make  it  irresistible ;  and  to  render  assurance 
doubly  sure,  General  Smith,  General  Grant's  chief  of 
cavalry,  was  detailed  to  supervise  operations.  All  these 
precautions,  however,  failed  to  accomplish  the  desired 
end.  The  column,  which  was  to  have  left  Colliersville 
February  3d — the  same  day  that  Sherman  got  away  from 
Vicksburg — was  detained  until  February  llth,  in  order 
to  enable  General  Waring  to  bring  up  his  brigade.  This 
delay  seems  to  have  been  suificient  to  enable  Forrest, 
Rhoddy,  and  Chambers  to  concentrate  their  forces  against 
him ;  it  gave  General  Sherman  a  whole  week  the  start, 
and  made  a  junction  proportionately  more  difficult. 
After  the  expedition  had  finally  started,  various  circum- 
stances conspired  to  delay  and  oppose  its  progress.  It 
was  only  after  the  force  had  been  in  the  saddle  seven 
days  that  it  reached  Okalona,  one  hundred  and  thirty 
miles  southeast  of  Memphis,  an  average  of  but  little 
more  than  fifteen  miles  per  day  from  Colliersville,  the 


HISTORY   OP   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  963 

point  of  departure.  On  the  19th  it  marched  to  Egypt, 
a  station  about  seven  miles  south  of  Okalona.  Here  they 
destroyed  a  large  quantity  of  rebel  stores  The  expedi- 
tion was  then  divided,  one  column,  under  Grierson,  going 
through  Aberdeen  on  the  east  side  of  the  railroad,  the 
other  on  the  west  side,  the  two  concentrating  at  Prairie 
Station,  about  seventeen  miles  south  of  Okalona,  where 
large  quantities  of  rebel  stores  were  destroyed.  Grierson 
met  with  considerable  opposition  near  Aberdeen.  On  the 
20th,  Forrest  was  reported  in  force  at  "West  Point,  and  on 
the  21st  our  forces  encountered  him  at  that  place.  Smith 
found  Forrest,  Lee,  Bhoddy,  and  Chambers  combined 
against  him,  and  after  a  heavy  fight  he  was  compelled  to 
fall  back,  leaving  three  field-pieces,  four-pounder  steel 
guns,  on  the  field.  They  were  spiked.  All  the  ammu- 
nition was  saved.  In  his  retreat  Smith  burnt  every 
trestle  on  the  Memphis  and  Ohio  Railroad,  and  destroyed 
miles  of  the  track  and  large  quantities  of  corn.  There 
was  heavy  fighting  in  the  rear  throughout  the  22d.  The 
rebels  moved  on  each  flank  with  the  evident  design  of 
reaching  the  Tallahatchie  in  advance  of  our  force,  and 
forming  a  junction  to  prevent  our  crossing,  and  capture 
the  whole  command;  but  by  forced  marching  Smith 
passed  both  flanking  columns,  and,  marching  all  night, 
crossed  safely  at  New  Albany.  Skirmishing  was  kept  up 
all  through  the  23d  and  the  24th.  On  the  25th  the 
expedition  arrived  at  Colliersville,  about  twenty-five 
miles  east  of  Memphis,  where  the  greater  portion  of  the 
men  remained. 

The  enemy  were  now  becoming  more  active.  Forrest, 
having  succeeded  in  defeating  the  expedition  of  Grierson 
and  Smith,  recruited  his  forces  in  Mississippi,  and  ap- 
peared suddenly,  on  March  22d,  at  Bolivar,  Tennessee, 
with  a  force  between  six  and  seven  thousand  strong.  He 
advanced  rapidly  against  Union  City,  which  was  gar- 
risoned by  about  four  hundred  men,  under  command  of 
Colonel  Harkins.  The  enemy  made  several  ineffectual 
charges  against  the  slight  earthworks  which  surrounded 
the  town ;  but,  finding  it  impossible  to  carry  them  by 
assault,  Forrest  commanded  the  surrender  of  the  garrison, 
threatening  to  bombard  the  town  unless  the  command 
was  complied  with.  Harkius,  it  is  said,  against  the 
wishes  of  the  garrison,  surrendered  on  the  24th,  just  in 


964:  HISTORY   OF   THE  GREAT   REBELLION 

time  to  anticipate  the  arrival  of  a  large  Union  force  from 
Cairo,  under  command  of  General  Mason  Brayrnan,  who 
was  marching  to  his  relief. 

From  Union  City,  Forrest  marched  northward  across 
Kentucky,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  March  25th  made  an 
attack  on  Paducah,  having  first  sent  to  demand  the  sur- 
render of  the  fort.  This  was  refused  by  Colonel  Hicks, 
who  was  in  command,  and  the  attack  was  immediately 
commenced.  It  lasted  during  the  whole  afternoon,  the 
enemy  making  four  assaults,  in  each  of  which  they  were 
repulsed  with  considerable  loss.  After  the  first  assault 
had  been  foiled,  Forrest  again  demanded  the  surrender 
of  the  fort,  troops,  and  public  stores,  promising  that  if  the 
demand  were  complied  with,  the  troops  should  be  treated 
as  prisoners  of  war,  but  if  he  were  compelled  to  storm 
the  fort  they  might  expect  no  quarters.  Hicks  declined, 
and  the  battle  continued.  Early  in  the  evening  the 
rebels  retired  from  the  town,  but  reappeared  the  next 
morning,  when  Forrest  sent  in  a  request  for  an  exchange 
of  prisoners.  This  Hicks  declined,  and  the  rebels,  without 
making  any  further  demonstrations,  retired  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Columbus.  Their  loss  was  three  hundred  killed 
and  one  thousand  wounded.  The  latter  were  taken  to 
Mayfield  by  rail,  and  the  former  were  left  unburied 
around  the  fort.  The  rebel  Brigadier-General  A.  P. 
Thompson  was  among  the  slain.  The  rebel  General 
Buford  appeared  before  Columbus  early  in  April,  and 
demanded  the  surrender  of  the  place,  but,  upon  receiving 
a  peremptory  refusal,  moved  off  without  attempting  an 
attack. 

At  this  time  occurred  an  event,  unparalleled  in  the 
previous  or  subsequent  history  of  the  war,  and  which 
caused  an  almost  unanimous  outbreak  of  horror  and  in- 
dignation throughout  the  loyal  States.  Threats  of  rais- 
ing the  "  black  flag,"  of  carrying  on  a  war  of  extermina- 
tion, of  giving  no  quarter  in  case  of  refusal  to  surrender, 
had  frequently  been  made  by  rebel  commanders,  but  it 
was  reserved  for  Forrest,  a  man  of  unquestioned  bravery 
and  skill,  but  of  relentless  cruelty,  to  show  that  such 
threats  had  a  deeper  significance  than  the  angry,  thought- 
less words  of  heated  and  exasperated  combatants.  Bad 
as  the  rebel  cause  had  before  seemed  to  loyal  men,  it 
grew  immeasurably  worse  from  the  crime  now  associated 


HISTORY   OP   THE   GKEAT   KEBELLION.  965 

with  it,  and  which,  like  the  rebellion  itself,  had  its  origin 
in  the  demoralizing  influences  flowing  from  the  institution 
of  slavery. 

On  the  12th  of  April,  Forrest  appeared  before  Fort 
Pillow,  on  the  Mississippi  River,  a  work  of  moderate 
size,  mounting  six  guns,  and  garrisoned  by  about  five 
hundred  and  nfty  men,  of  whom  two  hundred  and  sixty 
were  colored  troops,  the  whole  being  commanded  by 
Major  Bradford,  of  the  Thirteenth  Tennessee  Cavalry. 
The  fort  was  situated  on  a  high  bluff  which  descended 
precipitately  to  the  river's  edge,  the  ridge  of  the  bluff  on 
the  river  side  being  covered  with  trees,  bushes,  and  fall- 
ing timber.  Extending  back  from  the  river  on  either 
side  of  the  fort  was  a  ravine  or  hollow,  the  one  below 
the  fort  containing  several  private  stores  and  dwellings, 
and  some  Government  buildings,  containing  commissary 
stores.  The  ravine  above  the  fort  forward  was  known  as 
Cold  Bank  Ravine,  the  ridge  being  covered  with  trees 
and  bushes.  To  the  right  or  below  and  a  little  to  the 
front  of  the  fort  was  a  level  piece  of  ground,  not  quite  so 
elevated  as  the  fort  itself,  on  which  had  been  erected 
some  log  huts  or  shanties,  which  were  occupied  by  the 
white  troops,  and  also  used  for  hospital  and  other  pur- 
poses. Within  the  fort  tents  had  been  erected  with 
board  floors  for  the  use  of  the  colored  troops.  At  sun- 
rise the  Union  pickets  were  driven  in,  and  from  that  time 
until  two  or  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  rebels 
vainly  endeavored  to  dislodge  the  garrison,  who  made  a 
gallant  defence,  in  which  they  were  aided  by  the  gun- 
boat New  Era,  •  which,  from  her  position  in  the  river, 
shelled  the  enemy  vigorously. 

The  rebels,  having  thus  far  failed  in  their  attack,  now 
resorted  to  their  customary  flags  of  truce.  The  first  flag 
of  truce  conveyed  a  demand  from  Forrest  for  the  uncon- 
ditional surrender  of  the  fort.  To  this  Major  Bradford 
replied,  asking  to  be  allowed  one  hour  with  his  officers 
and  the  officers  of  the  gunboat.  In  a  short  time  the 
second  flag  of  truce  appeared,  with  a  communication  from 
Forrest  that  he  would  allow  Major  Bradford  twenty 
minutes  in  which  to  move  his  troops  out  of  the  fort,  and 
if  it  was  not  done  in  that  time  an  assault  would  be  or- 
dered. To  this  Major  Bradford  replied  that  he  would 
not  surrender.  During  the  time  occupied  by  the  com- 


966  HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT   EEBELLION. 

munication  between  the  fort  and  the  attacking  party, 
and  while  the  flag  of  truce  was  flying,  the  rebels,  with  a 
bad  faith  characteristic  of  their  conduct  on  several  pre- 
vious occasions  during  the  same  campaign,  gradually 
crept  up  to  a  position  from  which  they  could  overwhelm 
the  garrison  by  a  sudden  assault.  Captain  Marshall,  of 
the  gunboat,  saw  them  advancing  into  the  ravine  above 
the  fort,  and  could  easily  have  checked  their  progress, 
but  refrained  from  firing,  from  a  desire  not  to  afford  an 
excuse  for  subsequent  atrocities,  should  the  fort  be  cap- 
tured by  the  enemy.  What  followed  is  best  told  in  the 
report  of  the  Congressional  Committee  on  the  Conduct 
of  the  War,  two  of  the  members  of  which  visited  Fort 
Pillow  and  took  testimony  regarding  the  circumstances 
of  its  capture.  Their  account  is  as  follows : — 

"  Immediately  after  the  second  flag  of  truce  retired,  the  rebels  made  a 
rush  from  the  positions  they  had  so  treacherously  gained,  and  obtained 
possession  of  the  fort,  raising  the  cry  of  'No  quarter.'  But  little  oppor- 
tunity was  allowed  for  resistance.  Our  troops,  black  and  white,  threw 
down  their  arms,  and  sought  to  escape  by  running  down  the  steep  bluff 
near  the  fort,  and  secreting  themselves  behind  trees  and  logs  in  the  bushes 
and  under  the  brush ;  some  even  jumping  into  the  river,  leaving  only  their 
heads  above  the  water  as  they  crouched  down  under  the  bank.  Then  fol- 
lowed a  scene  of  cruelty  and  murder  without  parallel  in  civilized  warfare, 
which  needed  but  the  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife  to  exceed  the  worst 
atrocities  ever  committed  by  savages.  The  rebels  commenced  an  indis- 
criminate slaughter,  sparing  neither  age  nor  sex,  white  nor  black,  soldier  nor 
civilian.  The  officers  and  men  seemed  to  vie  with  each  other  in  the  devilish 
work.  Men,  women,  and  their  children,  wherever  found, were  deliberately  shot 
down,  beaten,  and  hacked  with  sabres.  Some  of  the  children,  not  more 
than  ten  years  old,  were  forced  to  stand  up  and  face  their  murderers  while 
being  shot.  The  sick  and  wounded  were  butchered  without  mercy,  the 
rebels  even  entering  the  hospital  buildings  and  dragging  them  out  to  be 
shot,  or  killing  them  as  they  lay  there  unable  to  offer  the  least  resistance. 
All  over  the  hillside  the  work  of  murder  was  going  on.  Numbers  of  our 
men  were  collected  together  in  lines  or  groups  and  deliberately  shot.  Some 
were  shot  while  in  the  river,  while  others  on  the  bank  were  shot  and  their 
bodies  kicked  into  the  water ;  many  of  them  still  living,  but  unable  to  make 
exertions  to  save  themselves  from  drowning.  Some  of  the  rebels  stood 
upon  the  top  of  the  hill  or  a  short  distance  from  its  side  and  called  out  to 
our  soldiers  to  come  up  to  them,  and,  as  they  approached,  shot  them  down 
in  cold  blood,  and  if  their  guns  or  pistols  missed  fire,  forcing  them  to  stand 
there  until  they  were  again  prepared  to  fire. 

"  Ah1  around  were  heard  theories  of  'No  quarter!'  'No  quarter!'  'Kill 
the  damned  niggers!"  'Shoot  them  downl'  All  who  asked  for  mercy 
were  answered  by  the  most  cruel  taunts  and  sneers.  Some  were  spared 
for  a  time,  only  to  be  murdered  under  circumstances  of  greater  cruelty.  No 
cruelty  which  the  most  fiendish  malignity  could  devise  was  omitted  by  these 
murderers.  One  white  soldier,  who  was  wounded  in  the  leg  so  as  to  be 
unable  to  walk,  was  made  to  stand  up  while  his  tormentors  shot  him. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT   REBELLION.  967 

Others,  who  were  wounded  and  unable  to  stand  up,  were  held  up  and  again 
shot.  One  negro,  who  had  been  ordered  by  a  rebel  officer  to  hold  his  horse, 
was  killed  by  him  when  he  remonstrated.  Another,  a  mere  child,  whom 
an  officer  had  taken  up  behind  him  on  his  horse,  was  seen  by  Chalmers, 
who  at  once  ordered  him  to  put  him  down  and  shoot  him,  which  was  done. 
The  huts  and  tents  in  which  many  of  the  wounded  had  sought  shelter  were 
set  on  fire,  both  that  night  and  the  next  morning,  while  the  wounded  were 
still  in  them,  those  only  escaping  who  were  able  to  get  themselves  out,  or 
who  could  prevail  on  others  less  injured  to  help  them  out,  and  even  some 
of  these  thus  seeking  to  escape  the  flames  were  met  by  these  ruffians  and 
beastly  shot  down,  or  had  their  brains  beaten  out.  One  man  was  deliber- 
ately fastened  down  to  the  floor  of  a  tent,  face  upward,  by  means  of  nails 
driven  through  his  clothing  and  into  the  boards  under  him,  so  that  he  could 
not  possibly  escape,  and  then  the  tent  was  set  on  fire.  Another  was  nailed 
to  the  side  of  a  building  outside  of  the  fort,  and  then  the  building  was  set 
on  fire  and  burned.  The  charred  remains  of  five  or  six  bodies  were  after- 
wards found,  all  but  one  so  much  disfigured  and  consumed  by  the  flames 
that  they  could  not  be  identified,  and  the  identification  of  that  one  is  not 
absolutely  certain,  although  there  can  hardly  be  a  doubt  it  was  the  body  of 
Lieutenant  Albertson,  quartermaster  of  the  Thirteenth  Tennessee  Cavalry, 
and  a  native  of  Tennessee.  Several  witnesses  who  saw  the  remains,  and 
who  were  personally  acquainted  with  him  while  living  here,  testified  that  it 
is  their  firm  belief  that  it  was  his  body  that  was  thus  treated. 

"  These  deeds  of  murder  and  cruelty  closed  when  night  came  on,  only  to 
be  renewed  the  next  morning,  when  the  demons  carefully  sought  among  the 
dead  lying  about  in  all  directions  for  any  other  wounded  yet  alive,  and 
those  they  found  were  deliberately  shot.  Scores  of  the  dead  and  wounded 
were  found  there  the  day  of  the  massacre  by  the  men  from  some  of  our 
gunboats,  who  were  permitted  to  go  on  shore  and  collect  the  wounded  and 
bury  the  dead.  The  rebels  themselves  had  made  a  pretence  of  burying  a 
great  number  of  their  victims,  but  they  had  merely  thrown  them,  without 
the  least  regard  to  care  or  decency,  into  the  trenches  and  ditches  about  the 
fort,  or  the  little  hollows  and  ravines  on  the  hillside,  covering  them  but  par- 
tially with  earth.  Portions  of  heads  and  faces,  hands  and  feet  were  found 
protruding  through  the  earth  in  every  direction,  and  even  when  your  com- 
mittee visited  the  spot,  two  weeks  afterwards,  although  parties  of  men  had 
been  sent  on  there  from  time  to  tune  to  bury  the  bodies  unburied  and  re- 
bury  the  others,  and  were  even  then  engaged  in  the  same  work,  we  found 
the  evidences  of  this  murder  and  cruelty  still  most  painfully  apparent. 

"  "We  saw  bodies  still  unburied  at  some  distance  from  the  fort,  of  some 
sick  men  who  had  been  met  fleeing  from  the  hospital,  and  beaten  down  and 
brutally  murdered,  and  their  bodies  left  where  they  had  fallen.  We  could 
see  the  faces  and  hands  and  feet  of  men,  white  and  black,  protruding  out  of 
the  ground,  whose  graves  had  not  been  reached  by  those  engaged  in  reinter- 
ring  the  victims  of  the  massacre,  and  although  a  great  deal  of  rain  had 
fallen  within  the  preceding  two  weeks,  the  ground,  more  especially  on  the 
side  and  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  where  the  most  of  the  murders  had  been 
committed,  was  still  discolored  by  the  blood  of  our  brave  but  unfortunate 
men ;  and  the  logs  and  trees  showed  but  too  plainly  the  evidences  of  the 
atrocities  perpetrated  there. 

•'  Many  other  instances  of  equally  atrocious  cruelty  might  be  enumerated. 
But  your  committee  feel  compelled  to  refrain  from  giving  here  more  of  the 
heart-sickening  details,  and  refer  to  the  statements  contained  in  the  volumi- 
nous testimony  herewith  submitted.  Those  statements  were  obtained 
by  them  from  eye-witnesses  and  sufferers.  Many  of  them,  as  they  were 
examined  by  your  committee,  were  lying  upon  beds  of  pain  and  suffering, 


968  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

some  so  feeble  that  their  lips  could  with  difficulty  frame  the  words  by  which 
they  endeavored  to  convey  some  idea  of  the  cruelties  which  had  been  in- 
flicted on  them  and  which  they  had  seen  inflicted  on  others. 

"  In  reference  to  the  fate  of  Major  Bradford,  who  was  in  command  of  the 
fort  when  it  was  captured,  and  who  had  up  to  that  time  received  no  injury, 
there  seems  to  be  no  doubt.  The  general  understanding  everywhere  seemed 
to  be  that  he  had  been  brutally  murdered  the  day  after  he  was  taken 
prisoner. 

"  How  many  of  our  troops  thus  fell  victims  to  the  malignity  and  barbarity 
of  Forrest  and  his  followers  cannot  be  definitely  ascertained.  Two  officers 
belonging  to  the  garrison  were  absent  at  the  time  of  the  capture  and  mas- 
sacre of  the  remaining  officers ;  but  two  are  known  to  be  living,  and  they 
are  wounded  and  now  in  the  hospital  at  Mound  City.  One  of  them,  Captain 
Porter,  may  even  now  be  dead,  as  the  surgeons,  when  your  committee  were 
there,  expressed  no  hope  of  his  recovery.  Of  the  men,  from  three  hundred 
to  four  hundred  are  known  to  have  been  killed  at  Fort  Pillow,  of  whom  at 
least  three  hundred  were  murdered  in  cold  blood  after  the  fort  was  in  pos- 
session of  the  rebels  and  our  men  had  thrown  down  their  arms  and  ceased 
to  offer  resistance.  Of  the  surviving,  except  the  wounded  in  the  hospital 
at  Mound  City,  and  the  few  who  succeeded  in  making  their  escape  unhurt, 
nothing  definite  is  known,  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that  many  have  been  mur- 
dered after  being  taken  away  from  the  fort  "When  your  committee  arrived 
at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  they  found  and  examined  a  man,  Mr.  McLagan,  who 
had  been  conscripted  by  some  of  Forrest's  forces,  but  who,  with  other  con- 
scripts, had  succeeded  in  making  his  escape.  He  testifies  that  while  two 
companies  of  rebel  troops,  with  Major  Bradford  and  many  other  prisoners, 
were  on  their  march  from  Brownsville  to  Jackson,  Tennessee,  Major  Brad- 
ford was  taken  by  five  rebels,  one  an  officer,  led  about  fifty  yards  from  the 
line  of  march,  and  deliberately  murdered  in  view  of  all  those  assembled. 
He  fell  instantly  killed  by  threo  musket-balls,  even  while  asking  that  his 
life  might  bo  spared,  as  he  had  fought  them  manfully  and  was  deserving  of 
a  better  fate.  The  motive  for  the  murder  of  Major  Bradford  seems  to  have 
been  the  simple  fact  that,  although  a  native  of  the  South,  ho  remained  loyal 
to  his  Government." 

The  rebels  admitted  the  wholesale  slaughter  at  Fort 
Pillow,  and,  if  ashamed  to  justify  it,  at  least  excuse  the 
occurrence  by  quoting  historical  instances  where  garrisons 
have  been  put  to  the  sword ;  forgetting  that  such  mas- 
sacres have  been  committed,  among  civilized  nations  at 
least,  only  where  the  besiegers  have  suffered  heavy  losses 
during  a  long  and  trying  investment,  and  are  in  conse- 
quence incited  to  an  extraordinary  degree  of  exasperation 
against  the  garrison.  ISTo  such  circumstances  attended 
the  present  case.  Fortunately  for  the  reputation  of  the 
country  and  of  American  civilization,  no  similar  massacre 
is  to  be  recorded  in  the  subsequent  history  of  the  war. 


HISTORY   OF   TIIE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  969 


CHAPTEE   LIX. 

Co-operative  Movement  on  Atlanta. — Size  and  Organization  of  the  Union 
and  Rebel  Armies. — Commencement  of  the  Campaign  by  Sherman. — 
Evacuation  of  Dalton  by  Johnston. — Battle  of  Resaca  and  Retreat  of  the 
Rebels. — Operations  at  Dallas  and  Kenesaw. — Rebels  Planked  and 
driven  across  the  Chattahoochie. 

IN  the  middle  of  March,  1864,  Grant,  then  recently 
appointed  lieutenant-general  and  commander-in-chiei, 
turned  over  to  Sherman  the  command  of  the  Military 
Division  of  the  Mississippi,  comprising  the  Departments 
of  the  Cumberland,  the  Tennessee,  and  the  Ohio.  The 
latter  general  was  succeeded  by  General  McPherson  in 
the  command  of  the  Department  of  the  Tennessee.  The 
grand  concerted  plan  of  the  spring  campaign  was  then 
matured,  the  part  assigned  to. Sherman  being  to  push  the 
enemy  steadily  back  upon  Atlanta,  and  if  possible  sever 
his  communications  between  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
States,  while  all  the  available  strength  in  the  East  was  to 
be  brought  to  bear  against  the  main  rebel  army  in  Virginia, 
under  Lee.  All  other  movements  of  the  Union  forces 
were  to  be  held  subsidiary  to  these.  Sherman  at  once 
bent  every  energy  to  the  perfecting  and  enlargement  of 
the  communications  between  Nashville  and  Chattanooga, 
his  primary  and  secondary  bases,  and  to  the  accumulation 
in  the  latter  place  of  such  an  amount  of  subsistence  and 
military  stores  as  would  render  him  independent  of  Nash- 
ville, should  the  railroad  connections  between  the  two 
points  be  temporarily  severed  by  rebel  raiding  forces. 
By  the  end  of  April  this  work  was  successfully  accom- 
plished, and  the  great  Army  of  the  West  was  prepared  to 
move  from  Chattanooga  at  the  precise  hour,  if  necessary, 
that  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  should  cross  the  Eapidan 
on  its  march  towards  Eichmond.  On  April  27th,  Grant 
notified  Sherman  to  be  ready  to  move  about  May  5th. 

The  total  force  under  General  Sherman's  command,  for 
offensive  purposes,  was  as  follows  : — 


970  HISTOBY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 


AKMT  OP  THE  CUMBERLAND,   MAJOR-GENERAL  THOMAS  COMMANDING. 

Infantry 54,568 

Artillery 2,377 

Cavalry 3,828 


Total 60, 7  73 

Guns 130 

ARMT  OP  THE  TENNESSEE,    MAJOR-GENERAL  M'PHERSON   COMMANDING. 

Infantry 22,437 

Artillery : 1,404 

Cavalry 624 


Total. 24,465 

Guns 96 

ARMY  OP   THE   OHIO,    MAJOR-GENERAL   SCHOFIELD  COMMANDING. 

Infantry 11,183 

Artillery 679 

Cavalry 1,679 

Total 13,541 

Guns 28 

Making  a  grand  aggregate  of  eighty-eight  thousand  one 
hundred  and  eighty-eight  infantry,  four  thousand  four 
hundred  and  sixty  artillery,  and  six  thousand  one  hundred 
and  forty-nine  cavalry,  or  ninety-eight  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  ninety-seven  men,  and  two  hundred  and 
fifty-four  guns.  The  Army  of  the  Cumberland  comprised 
the  Fourth  Corps,  General  Howard,  the  Fourteenth 
Corps,  General  rainier,  and  the  Twentieth  Corps,  Gen- 
eral Hooker ;  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  the  Fifteenth 
Corps,  General  Logan,  the  Sixteenth  Corps,  General 
Dodge,  and,  later  in  the  campaign,  the  Seventeenth 
Corps,  General  Blair ;  and  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  the 
Twenty-third  Corps,  General  Schofield.  These  several 
armies  in  the  beginning  of  May  lay  a  few  miles  south  of 
Chattanooga,  in  supporting  distance  of  each  other. 

The  rebel  army,  comprising  the  corps  of  Hardee,  Polk, 
and  Hood,  and  the  cavalry  division  of  Wheeler,  was 
imder  the  command  of  Lieutenant-General  J.  E.  John- 
ston, whose  reputation  as  a  commander  in  the  Confed- 
eracy was  second  only  to  that  of  Lee.  It  numbered 
about  fifty  thousand  infantry  and  artillery,  and  ten 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  971 

thousand  cavalry,  of  whom  much  the  greater  part  were 
veteran  troops,  and  lay  in  and  about  Dalton,  on  the  rail- 
road connecting  Chattanooga  with  Atlanta,  the  advance 
being  at  Tunnel  Hill,  a  station  thirty  miles  south  of 
Chattanooga.  Directly  south  of  Tunnel  Hill  is  a  level 
valley,  three .  miles  in  length  and  about  three-quarters  of 
a  mile  wide,  bounded  at  its  southern  extremity  by  a 
rugged  mountain  range,  known  as  Rocky  Faced  Kidge, 
which  dominates  the  valley,  and  is  succeeded  by  a  narrow 
defile  called  Buzzard's  Roost,  still  farther  to  the  south, 
through  which  passes  the  railroad.  Immediately  south  of 
Buzzard's  Roost  is  Dalton.  This  defile  had  been  rendered 
nearly  impregnable  to  an  army  advancing  directly  upon 
Dalton  from  the  north,  and  the  mountains  so  enveloped 
the  latter  place  that  to  attack  an  enemy  posted  there  in 
any  other  direction  than  from  the  front,  a  wide  detour 
was  necessary.  A  brief  reconnoissance  satisfied  Sherman 
that  Johnston  could  only  be  dislodged  by  a  flanking 
movement  to  the  right.  Thomas  was  therefore  directed 
to  amuse  the  enemy  in  front  of  Buzzard's  Roost,  while 
McPherson,  with  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  moved 
rapidly  south  through  Snake  Creek  Gap  and  seized 
Resaca,  a  station  on  the  railroad  eighteen  miles  below 
Dalton.  Should  this  manoauvre  be  successfully  executed, 
the  rebel  army  would  be  attacked  in  flank  and  rear,  and 
its  retreat  upon  its  base,  Atlanta,  eifectually  cut  oif. 
The  superior  strength  of  Sherman  gave  him  opportunities 
for  movements  of  this  nature,  of  which  we  shall  see  that 
he  frequently  availed  himself. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  Thomas  occupied  Tunnel  Hill  with 
little  resistance,  pushing  the  enemy's  cavalry  well  into  the 
defile  below,  and  on  the  succeeding  day  demonstrated 
with  great  activity  against  Johnston's  position,  while 
McPherson,  on  the  8th,  surprised  the  enemy  at  Snake 
Creek  Gap.  On  the  9th,  Thomas  renewed  his  demonstra- 
tion on  Buzzard's  Roost,  and  a  portion  of  the  Fourth 
Corps,  Howard's,  carried  Rocky  Faced  Ridge.  These 
movements,  though  unavailable  to  force  the  strong  posi- 
tion of  the  enemy,  occupied  him  in  front  and  enabled 
McPherson  to  march  within  a  mile  of  Resaca,  which  he 
found  too  strong  to  be  carried  by  assault.  Accordingly 
he  fell  back  upon  Snake  Creek  Gap  to  await  the  arrival 
of  the  main  army.  On  the  10th,  Thomas  was  ordered  to 


Lkr 


972  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELJJON. 

send  Hooker's  Corps  to  Snake  Creek  Gap  in  support  of 
McPherson,  and  to  follow  with  another  corps,  the  Four- 
teenth, Palmer's,  leaving  Howard  with  the  Fourth  Corps 
to  continue  to  threaten  Dalton  in  front,  while  the  rest  of 
the  army  moved  rapidly  through  Snake  Creek  Gap.  On 
the  same  day,  Schofield  was  ordered  to  follow  by  the 
same  route,  and  on  the  llth  the  whole  army,  excepting 
Howard's  Corps,  and.  some  cavalry  left  to  watch  Dalton, 
was  in  motion  on  the  west  side  of  Rocky  Faced  Ridge  for 
Snake  Creek  Gap  and  Resaca.  The  next  day  the  army 
moved  against  Resaca,  McPherson  on  the  direct  road, 
preceded  by  Kilpatrick's  Cavalry ;  Thomas  to  come  up 
on  his  left,  and  Schofield  on  his.  Kilpatrick,  while  mov- 
ing in  the  advance,  was  disabled  by  a  wound  received  in 
a  cavalry  skirmish.  McPherson  drove  in  the  enemy's 
pickets  near  Resaca  on  the  13th,  and  occupied  a  range 
of  hills  in  front  of  the  town,  with  his  right  on  the  Oosta- 
naula  River.  Thomas  on  his  left  faced  Camp  Creek,  a 
small  affluent  of  the  Oostanaula,  and  Schofield  took  a 
position  on  Thomas's  left.  The  enemy,  under  Johnston, 
meantime  fell  back  from  Dalton,  Howard  pressing  his 
rear,  to  a  strong  position  behind  Camp  Creek,  and,  on 
May  14th,  occupied  the  defensive  works  at  Resaca,  with 
his  right  on  some  high  chestnut  hills  to  the  north  of  the 
town. 

The  enemy  lay  here  behind  a  line  of  rifle-pits  and 
earthworks,  which  they  had  thrown  across  the  peninsula 
formed  by  the  Coosawattie  and  Conasauga  Rivers,  which 
unite  near  Resaca  to  form  the  Oostanaula.  Hardee 
held  their  right,  Polk  the  left,  and  Hood  the  centre.  On 
the  14th  of  May,  Sherman  vainly  operated  to  turn  the 
flank  of  the  enemy  in  order  to  prevent  their  retreat.  A 
vigorous  attempt  by  Palmer  on  the  left  centre  to  carry 
the  position  in  his  front  resulted  in  a  repulse,  with  the 
loss  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty-five  men.  A  similar 
attack  on  the  left  by  a  column  composed  of  Judah's 
Division  of  Schofield's  Corps  and  Newton's  Division  of 
Howard's  Corps,  assisted  finally  by  Cox's  Division  of 
Schofield's  Corps,  resulted  in  driving  the  enemy  from  an 
outer  line  of  rifle-pits.  The  fire  was  kept  up  until  the 
close  of  day,  when  the  enemy,  having  massed  a  strong 
column,  fell  suddenly  upon  Stanley's  Division  of  the 
Fourth  Corps,  driving  it  in  confusion  from  the  hill  where 


an    o      B     i     JOE 


974:  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

it  had  been  posted.  The  division  was  saved  from  rout 
by  the  arrival  of  Hooker's  Corps,  which  had  been  ordered 
round  from  the  right  centre  to  support  the  left  wing. 
Meanwhile,  McPherson  on  the  right,  taking  advantage 
of  the  enemy's  occupation  with  this  movement,  sent 
Logan's  Corps  across  Camp  Creek,  where  it  carried  a  line 
of  rifle-pits  in  a  position  which  afforded  an  enfilading 
fire  upon  the  rebel  works.  The  approaching  night  put  a 
stop  to  active  operations,  and  both  parties  proceeded  to 
strengthen  their  positions. 

On  the  morning  of  May  15th,  heavy  skirmishing  began 
on  our  centre  and  left  centre,  under  cover  of  which  our 
troops  were  formed  on  the  left  for  an  attack  upon  the  ex- 
treme right  of  the  enemy's  line,  where  an  attempt  was 
to  be  made  to  secure  possession  of  two  fortified  hills 
which  commanded  each  other,  compelling  a  simultaneous 
attack  on  both.  Hooker  directed  Butterfield's  Division 
to  assault,  supported  by  the  divisions  of  Geary  and  Wil- 
liams. Forming  under  cover  of  a  ravine  in  the  forest, 
our  troops  advanced,  covered  by  heavy  skirmishing  along 
the  whole  line  of  the  army,  and  a  heavy  artillery  fire, 
taking  the  enemy  at  first  by  surprise,  and  carrying  every 
thing  before  them,  until,  with  the  help  of  their  supports, 
they  secured  a  lodgment  in  front  of  one  of  the  enemy's 
strongest  positions.  Here  they  found  shelter  from  fire, 
while  the  right  and  left  flanks  of  the  work  were  raked  by 
our  fire  and  their  guns  silenced.  At  about  four  p.  M.  an 
assault  was  made  on  our  new  position  by  Hood's  Corps, 
which  was  repulsed  with  heavy  slaughter,  and  night 
closed  with  Hooker  still  in  possession  of  the  heights  he 
had  carried.  On  the  night  of  the  15th,  the  enemy 
quietly  abandoned  his  works  and  retreated  towards  Cal- 
houn,  destroying  the  bridge  across  the  Oostanaula.  Our 
total  loss  in  this  series  ot  engagements  was  about  eight 
hundred  killed,  and  something  over  four  thousand  wound- 
ed, of  whom  some  two  thousand  were  so  slightly  injured 
that  they  were  fit  for  duty  in  two  or  three  weeks.  Our 
captures  amounted  to  one  thousand.  Besides  these,  eight 
guns  were  captured,  four  of  them  fine  twelve-pounders. 
The  rebel  loss  was  about  two  thousand  five  hundred. 

The  army  followed  in  pursuit,  on  the  morning  of  the 
16th,  Thomas  by  the  direct  road,  McPherson  by  Lay's 
Ferry,  and  Schofield  to  the  left.  The  cavalry,  under 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  975 


McCook  and  Stoneman,  started  in  advance  of 
fantry.  Hooker  crossed  the  river  on  pontoons  near 
Resaca,  and  Schofield  in  the  same  way  near  Pelton, 
farther  to  the  left.  The  remainder  of  our  army  was 
afterwards  thrown  across,  and  on  Wednesday,  the  18th, 
Sherman  reached  Kingston,  twenty-five  miles  by  rail 
beyond  Resaca.  Meanwhile,  Rome  was  occupied  by 
Davis's  Division  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps.  A  large 
amount  of  provisions  and  seven  fine  iron-works  and 
machine-shops  were  secured  at  Rome,  where  every  thing 
appears  to  have  been  left  undisturbed  by  the  rebels.  On 
Monday  evening,  the  16th,  there  was  some  slight  skir- 
mishing with  the  rebel  rear-guard.  On  Tuesday,  the 
17th,  our  centre  reached  and  passed  Calhoun  —  the  capital 
of  Gordon  County,  eighty  miles  northwest  of  Atlanta, 
and  sixty  miles  beyond  Chattanooga.  Three  miles 
beyond  here,  a  brisk  little  fight  occurred,  the  rebels 
having  occupied  with  their  sharpshooters  an  octagon 
cement  building,  called  the  "  Graves  House."  After  a 
fight  of  two  hours,  the  skirmishers  of  Newton's  Division 
ot  Howard's  Corps  (Fourth),  aided  by  artillery,  succeeded 
in  dislodging  the  enemy.  Early  W  ednesday  morning 
(18th),  the  army  was  again  upon  the  march,  the  Fourth 
Corps  leading  the  way,  and  before  night  our  troops  occu- 
pied Kingston.  The  Twentieth  and  Twenty-third  Army 
Corps  advanced  on  the  left  by  way  of  Crossville,  skirmish- 
ing heavily  by  the  way.  The  army  here  had  a  few  days' 
rest,  while  supplies  were  accumulating  for  a  new  forward 
movement.  The  enemy,  meanwhile,  on  the  19th,  crossed 
the  Etowah,  burning  the  road  and  railroad  bridges  near 
Cartersville,  and  fell  back  upon  Allatoona  Pass,  in  the 
Etowali  Mountains,  a  position  of  vast  natural  strength, 
and  almost  impregnable  against  a  direct  advance  on 
Atlanta  by  railroad. 

Sherman,  who  had  previously  ordered  away  the  news- 
paper reporters,  now  issued  the  following  circular,  which 
explains  its  own  object,  and  also  the  evil  which  the  pre- 
vious order  had  been  intended  to  remedy  :  — 

"  HEAD-QUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI,  ? 
"KINGSTON,  GA.,  May  20,  1864.         J 

"  Inasmuch  as  an  impression  ia  afloat  that  the  Commanding  General  has 
prohibited  the  mails  to  and  from  the  army,  he  takes  this  method  of  assuring 
all  officers  and  men  that,  on  the  contrary,  he  encourages  them,  by  all  his 


976  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT  REBELLION. 

influence  and  authority,  to  keep  up  the  most  unreserved  correspondence 
with  their  families  and  friends.  Wherever  they  may  be,  army  corps,  and 
division  commanders  should  perfect  the  arrangements  to  receive  and  trans- 
mit mails ;  and  all  chaplains,  staff-officers,  and  captains  of  companies  should 
assist  the  soldiers  in  communicating  with  their  families. 

"  What  the  Commanding  General  does  discourage,  is  the  existence  of  that 
class  of  men  who  will  not  take  a  musket  and  fight,  but  who  follow  an  army 
to  pick  up  news  for  sale,  speculating  on  a  species  of  information  which  is 
dangerous  to  the  army  and  to  our  cause,  and  who  are  more  used  to  bolster 
up  idle  and  worthless  officers  than  to  notice  the  hard-working  and  meritori- 
ous, whose  modesty  is  generally  equal  to  their  courage,  and  who  scorn  to 
seek  the  flattery  of  the  press. 

"W.  T.  SHERMA*,  Major- General." 

Anticipating  that  the  enemy  would  make  a  stand  at 
Allatoona  Pass  with  every  chance  of  success,  Sherman 
resolved  to  turn  it,  and  for  that  purpose  made  full  prepa- 
rations for  a  flank  movement  to  the  right.  Accordingly, 
on  May  23d,  the  army  was  put  in  motion  in  a  direction 
almost  due  south,  Allatoona  being  more  to  the  east. 
McPherson  crossed  the  Etowah  at  the  mouth  of  Conasene 
Creek,  near  Kingston,  and  moved  for  his  position  to  the 
south  of  Dallas  via  Yan  Wert.  Davis's  Division  moved 
directly  from  Eome  for  Dallas  by  Yan  Wert.  Thomas 
took  the  road  via  Euharlee  and  Burnt  Hickory,  while 
Schofield  moved  by  other  roads  more  to  the  east,  aiming 
to  come  up  on  General  Thomas's  left.  Thomas's  head  of 
column  skirmished  with  the  enemy's  cavalry  about  Burnt 
Hickory,  and  captured  a  Courier  with  a  letter  written  by 
Johnston,  showing  he  had  detected  the  move  and  was  pre- 
paring to  meet  Sherman  about  Dallas. 

On  the  25th  May,  Thomas  was  moving  from  Burnt 
Hickory  for  Dallas,  his  troops  on  three  roads,  Hooker 
having  the  advance.  When  he  approached  the  Pumpkin 
Yine  Creek,  on  the  main  Dallas  road,  he  encountered  the 
enemy's  cavalry  at  a  bridge  to  his  left.  He  rapidly  pushed 
them  across  the  creek,  saving  the  bridge,  and  followed 
out  eastward  about  two  miles,  where  he  encountered  the 
enemy's  line  of  battle,  and  his  leading  division,  Geary's, 
had  a  severe  combat.  It  was  near  4  o'clock  p.  M.  before 
Hooker  got  his  whole  corps  well  in  hand,  when  he  made 
a  bold  push  to  secure  possession  of  a  point  known  as  the 
"New  Hope"  Church,  where  three  roads  meet  from  Ac- 
.  worth,  Marietta,  and  Dallas.  Here  he  suffered  a  repulse, 
with  a  total  loss  of  six  hundred.  On  the  26th,  the  enemy 
was  discovered  well  intrenched  in  front  of  the  road  lead- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  977 

ing  from  Dallas  to  Marietta.  Accordingly,  McPherson 
was  moved  up  to  Dallas,  Thomas  was  deployed  against 
New  Hope  Church,  and  Schofield  was  directed  towards 
our  left,  so  as  to  strike  and  turn  the  enemy's  right. 
Garrard's  Cavalry  operated  with  McPherson,  and  Stone- 
man  with  Schoiield.  McCook  looked  to  our  rear.  In 
consequence  of  the  difficult  nature  of  the  ground,  these 
movements  required  several  days.  On  the  28th,  the 
enemy,  taking  advantage  of  McPherson's  closing  on 
Thomas  to  his  left,  assaulted  him  with  great  vigor,  but 
the  Federal  troops,  being  behind  breastworks,  repulsed 
him  with  ease,  and  with  comparatively  little  loss.  That 
of  the  rebels  exceeded  two  thousand. 

Johnston  had  selected  a  position  of  great  natural 
strength  near  his  base  of  supplies — with  a  rail  and  three 
excellent  wagon-roads  for  his  lines  of  supply — had  re- 
cruited his  army  by  all  the  available  troops  in  his  depart- 
ment, and  was  evidently  anxious  that  Sherman  would  risk 
a  general  engagement,  and  in  his  present  position  he  would 
have  received  battle  if  it  had  been  offered.  A  battle 
would  have  involved  the  whole  of  both  armies.  It  might 
have  been  successful  on  our  part ;  but  the  cost  of  life  and 
limb  would  have  been  immense.  Sherman  might  have 
achieved  a  victory ;  but  he  must  in  all  probability  have 
come  out  of  the  conflict  with  a  shattered,  crippled,  weak- 
ened army.  He  might  be  unable  for  weeks  to  resume 
offensive  operations.  Then,  again,  the  defensive  line  ex- 
tending from  Dallas  northeast  to  Lost  Mountain  was  not 
only  the  best,  but  almost  the  only  military  position  of  any 
great  natural  strength  north  of  the  Chattahoochee  River. 
If  dislodged  from  that,  Johnston  would  be  compelled  to 
fall  back  of  that  river,  or  fight  upon  more  equal  ground. 
Such  being  the  situation,  General  Sherman  determined 
not  to  attack  Johnston  in  his  imtrenchments,  and  to  force 
him  to  abandon  them. 

It  being  determined  to  change  position  so-as  to  force 
Johnston  into  the  field,  after  a  few  days'  delay  Sherman 
renewed  orders  to  McPherson  to  move  to  his  left  about 
five  miles  and  occupy  Thomas's  position  in  front  of  JSTew 
Hope  Church,  and  Thomas  and  Schofield  were  ordered  to 
move  a  corresponding  distance  to  their  left.  This  move 
was  effected  with  ease  and  safety  on  the  1st  of  June,  and 
by  pushing  the  left  well  around,  Sherman  occupied  all 

60 


978  HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT   KEBELLIOJT. 

the  roads  leading  back  to  Allatoona  and  Acworth,  after 
which  he  pushed  Stoneman's  Cavalry  rapidly  into  Alla- 
toona, at  the  east  end  of  the  Pass,  and  Garrard's  Cavalry 
around  by  the  rear  to  the  west  end  of  the  Pass.  Both  of 
these  commands  reached  the  points  designated  without 
trouble,  and  we  thereby  accomplished  the  real  purpose  of 
turning  the  Allatoona  Pass.  Our  line  was  about  seven 
miles  in  length.  The  extreme  right,  held  by  the  army 
of  the  Tennessee,  was  the  longest  relatively,  and  the 
weakest. 

Contemporaneous  with  the  withdrawal  of  the  right 
wing,  or  immediately  after  its  discovery,  the  rebels  changed 
the  position  of  their  left,  Hardee's  Corps  being  moved  to 
the  centre.  About  midnight  of  June  4th,  General  Logan 
received  information  that  the  enemy  in  his  front  were 
evacuating  their  works  and  moving  in  some  direction. 
The  night  was  rainy  and  very  dark.  Logan  gave  orders 
to  advance  his  skirmishers  so  soon  as  it  should  be  light 
enough  to  move.  The  line  moved  about  four,  and  found 
the  works  in  the  front  of  his  corps  entirely  abandoned  and 
his  whole  force  withdrawn,  save  a  few  pickets,  who  were 
captured.  Johnston  was  too  shrewd  to  be  cut  off  from  his 
base,  and  on  the  4th,  discovering  the  Union  troops  moving 
round  his  right  flank,  he  abandoned  his  position,  and 
moved  eastward  to  the  railroad,  to  cover  Marietta. 

On  the  6th  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  marched  at  day- 
light to  -Acworth,  on  the  railroad,  some  fifteen  or  sixteen 
miles  northwest  of  Marietta  by  rail,  and  two-thirds  that  dis- 
tance on  a  straight  line.  Thus  Johnston  was  again  obliged 
by  General  Sherman's  strategy  to  abandon  a  strong  posi- 
tion, and  move  out  of  his  carefully  and  thoroughly  pre- 
pared fortifications.  Sherman,  having  examined  Allatoona 
Pass,  resolved  to  make  it  a  secondary  base. 

Here,  on  the  7th,  was  Sherman,  in  sight  of  the  enemy's 
signal  stations  at  Lost  Mountain — on  the  direct  road  from 
Dallas  to  Marietta,  seven  miles  from  the  latter  place — and 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  ten  miles  from  Lost  Mountain,  a  little 
east  of  north  from  it,  on  the  railroad.  These  two  points 
were  the  right  and  left  of  the  enemy's  position,  their  army 
stretching  along  the  hills  between  tne  two.  They  are 
detached  peaks,  overlooking  the  plain  beyond,  and  con- 
nected by  a  ridge,  or  series  of  low  hills.  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  the  larger  of  the  two,  rises  to  an  elevation  of 


HISTOEY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  979 

one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet  above 
the  sea-level,  extending  some  nine  hundred  yards  on  its 
summit  from  northeast  to  southwest.  It  is  situated  two 
and  a  half  miles  northwest  of  Marietta,  and  directly  upon 
the  line  of  the  railroad,  which  here  makes  a  bend  to  the 
east,  to  escape  the  mountain.  Lost  Mountain,  whose 
isolated  situation  explains  its  name,  lies  some  miles  west 
of  southwest  of  Marietta,  directly  north  of  the  railroad 
running  from  that  place  to  Dallas.  Between  Kenesaw 
and  Lost  Mountain,  and  half  a  mile  to  the  north,  is  Pine 
Mountain,  a  lesser  elevation,  constituting  the  apex  of  a 
triangle,  of  which  the  other  two  may  be  said  to  form  the 
base.  The  three  hills  and  their  connecting  ridges  were 
fortified,  and  afforded  an  admirable  defensive  position 
against  an  attacking  army. 

On  the  9th  of  June  the  army  was  once  more  put  in 
motion  for  Atlanta.  By  means  of  the  railroad,  which  was 
kept  in  good  running  order  from  Chattanooga  to  the  front, 
supplies  of  all  kinds  had  come  forward  in  abundance,  and 
on  the  8th  the  Seventeenth  Army  Corps,  General  Blair, 
reached  Acworth,  and  was  incorporated  with  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee.  It  compensated  for  Union  losses  in  battle 
and  for  garrisons  left  at  Home,  Kingston,  and  elsewhere, 
and  Sherman  was  enabled  to  renew  the  attack  upon  his 
wary  adversary  with  as  strong  a  force  as  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  campaign.  The  order  of  advance  was  now 
somewhat  different  from  that  previously  observed  during 
the  campaign,  McPherson  being  shifted  to  the  left  wing 
and  Schofield  to  the  right,  .while  Thomas  still  held  the 
centre.  McPherson  was  ordered  to  move  towards  Mariet- 
ta, his  right  on  the  railroad,  Thomas  on  Kenesaw  and  Pine 
Mountains,  and  Schofield  off  towards  Lost  Mountain  ; 
Garrard's  Cavalry  being  on  the  left,  Stoneman's  on  the 
right,  while  McCook  looked  to  our  rear  and  communica- 
tions. Our  depot  was  at  Big  Shanty. 

By  the  llth  of  June  our  lines  were  close  up,  and  dispo- 
sitions were  made  to  break  the  line  between  Kenesaw  and 
Pine  Mountains.  Hooker  was  on  its  right  and  front, 
Howard  on  its  left  and  front,  and  Palmer  between  it  and 
the  railroad.  During  a  sharp  cannonading  from  Howard's 
right  or  Hooker's  left,  the  rebel  General  Polk  *  was  killed 

*  Leonidas  Polk  was  born  in  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  in  1806,  and  grad- 


980  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

on  the  14th,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  Pine  Moun- 
tain was  found  abandoned  by  the  enemy.  Thomas  and 
Schofield  advanced,  and  found  him  again  strongly  in- 
trenched along  the  line  of  rugged  hills  connecting  Kene- 
saw and  Lost  Mountain.  At  the  same  time  Mcrherson 
advanced  his  line,  gaining  substantial  advantages  on  the 
left.  Pushing  our  operations  on  the  centre  as  vigorously 
as  the  nature  of  the  ground  would  permit,  an  assault  was 
ordered  on  the  centre.  On  the  17th,  the  enemy  aban- 
doned Lost  Mountain  and  the  long  line  of  admirable  breast- 
works connecting  it  with  Kenesaw,  to  prevent  being 
flanked  by  Schofield,  who  had  wheeled  around  Pine 
Knob,  and  was  pressing  along  the  Dallas  and  Marietta 
road.  An  additional  motive  lor  this  movement  was  found 
in  the  fact  that  while  our  forces  had  been  so  successfully 
at  work  upon  their  centre  and  left,  McPherson  on  our  left 
had  put  them  in  a  dangerous  position  on  their  right,  press- 
ing it  on  that  flank  beyond  Big  Shanty  and  Brush  Moun- 
tain. Sherman  continued  to  press  at  all  points,  skirmishing 
in  dense  forests  of  timber  and  across  most  difficult  ravines, 
until  the  enemy  was  found  again  strongly  posted  and  in- 
trenched, with  Kenesaw  as  iris  salient,  his  right  wing 
thrown  back  to  cover  Marietta,  and  his  left  behind  Nose's 
Creek,  covering  his  railroad  back  to  the  Chattahoochee. 
This  enabled  him  to  contract  his  lines  and  strengthen 
them  accordingly. 

Our  right,  meanwhile,  forced  its  way  across  and  two 

uated  at  West  Point  in  1827,  but  resigned  his  commission  in  the  army  in 
the  same  year,  in  order  to  study  for  the  ministry.  In  1830  he  was  ordained 
a  deacon  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church ;  in  1838  he  was  consecrated 
Missionary  Bishop  of  Arkansas  and  the  Indian  Territory  south  of  36°  30', 
and  in  1841  he  became  Bishop  of  Louisiana.  He  embraced  with  ardor  the 
doctrines  of  secession,  was  commissioned  a  major-general  in  the  rebel  army, 
and  until  the  spring  of  1862  held  command  in  Tennessee  and  Kentucky. 
He  commanded  a  division  at  Shiloh,  and,  during  the  siege  of  Corinth,  par- 
ticipated in  Bragg's  invasion  of  Kentucky  hi  the  autumn  of  1862,  and  dis- 
tinguished himself  at  the  hard-fought  field  of  Murfreesboro.  For  alleged 
disobedience  of  orders  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  whereby,  according  to 
General  Bragg,  the  Union  army  was  alone  saved  from  annihilation,  he  was 
placed  under  temporary  arrest.  In  the  early  part  of  1 864  he  regained  his 
prestige  by  skilful  dispositions  to  prevent  the  junction  of  Sherman  and  Smith 
in  Mississippi,  and  in  consequence  was  appointed  to  command  a  corps  in 
Johnston's  army.  He  was  killed  by  a  cannon-shot  while  reconnoitring  on 
Pine  Mountain.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  held  the  rank  of  lieutenant- 
general  hi  the  rebel  service.  He  never  resigned  his  diocese,  and  intended, 
at  the  close  of  the  war,  to  resume  his  episcopal  functions. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  981 

miles  beyond  Nose's  Creek,  on  the  Dalton  and  Marietta 
road.  This  creek  it  had  been  found  impossible  to  cross 
before,  because  of  the  swollen  condition  of  the  stream. 
The  stream  was  to  be  crossed  by  a  bridge,  close  beyond 
which  the  rebels  had  a  heavy  line  of  skirmishers  to  repel 
any  attempt  to  cross.  In  the  face  of  a  raking  fire  of  mus- 
ketry, four  regiments  charged  over  the  bridge  at  a  double- 
quick,  driving  the  enemy  before  them,  and  making  way 
for  our  advance  forces.  No  serious  opposition  appears, 
however,  to  have  been  made  to  this  advance,  the  rebel 
left  being  already  refused.  Their  position  in  front  of  our 
right  to  the  northeast  remained  at  this  time  unchanged, 
their  troops  resting  there  behind  strong  works.  Our  cen- 
tre had  worked  up  the  base  of  Kenesaw  Mountain,  and 
had  carried  some  knobs  west  of  the  mountain,  thus  secur- 
ing a  position  for  an  annoying  enfilading  fire  upon  the 
mountain.  These  points,  which  had  been  lost  by  the 
enemy  through  negligence,  were  held  by  our  troops  so 
firmly  that  all  efforts  to  dislodge  them  were  in  vain. 

Kenesaw  Mountain  is  made  up  of  two  elevations,  joined 
almost  at  their  summits,  one  being  about  eight  hundred 
feet  high  and  the  other  about  one  hundred  feet  higher. 
Looking  at  them  from  the  north  side,  thev  have  the  ap- 
pearance of  two  immense  mounds,  surrounded  at  the  base 
by  gentle  irregularities  of  surface  adapted  to  every  depart- 
ment of  agricultural  labor.  The  outline  of  the  mountain 
rises  on  the  east  side  rather  gradually,  describing  almost 
a  half-circle,  thence  falling  upon  the  west,  about  two  hun- 
dred feet.  The  other  portion  joins  the  first  and  rises  to  a 
still  greater  height,  and  being  a  trifle  more  irregular.  On 
the  west  side  it  then  loses  itself  somewhat  abruptlv  in 
a  small  valley  beyond,  by  which  the  country  is  deprived 
of  a  mountainous  character.  The  base  of  the  Kenesaw  is 
about  four  miles  from  east  to  west,  drawing  a  straight 
line,  and  in  breadth  is  about  one  mile.  Its  sides  are 
covered  with  thick  forests,  brush,  and  rock  and  bowlders 
of  various  dimensions.  It  would  be  impossible  to  take  it 
in  front.  The  defences  of  the  mountain  consisted  of  a 
line  of  works  on  the  summit,  upon  which  were  erected 
several  batteries.  Upon  the  sides,  single  guns  were  located 
at  commanding  points.  The  flanks  of  the  mountain  were 
held  by  heavy  bodies  of  infantry  and  artillery,  and  its 
rear  was  protected  in  a  similar  manner. 


982  HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT  REBELLION. 

It  was  no  longer  possible  for  our  wings  to  make  a  fur- 
ther advance  without  cutting  themselves  loose  from  the 
centre,  whose  further  progress  was  stayed  by  the  formida- 
ble defences  of  Kenesaw  Mountain,  the  enemy  on  which 
was  watched  by  McPherson,  working  his  left  forward, 
while  Thomas  was  swinging  as  it  were  on  a  grand  left 
wheel,  his  left  on  Kenesaw,  connecting  with  General 
McPherson,  and  General  Schofield  was  ail  the  time  work- 
ing to  the  south  and  east  along  the  old  Sandtown  road. 

On  the  22d,  as  Hooker  had  advanced  his  line,  with 
Schofield  on  his  right,  the  enemy,  Hood's  Corps,  with 
detachments  from  the  others,  suddenly  sallied  and  at- 
tacked. The  blow  fell  mostly  on  Williams's  Division  of 
Hooker's  Corps,  and  a  brigade  of  Hascall's  Division  of 
Schofield's  army.  The  enemy  was  badly  repulsed.  This 
was  the  affair  of  "  Kulp's  house."  It  was  now  that 
Sherman,  smarting  under  the  imputation  that  he  would 
not  attack  fortified  lines,  but  depended  upon  overwhelm- 
ing numbers  to  outflank,  determined  to  risk  an  attack. 
Accordingly,  on  June  24th,  he  issued  orders  for  an  attack 
to  take  place  June  27th.  The  general  point  selected  was 
the  left  centre ;  because,  if  a  strong  column  could  be 
pushed  through  at  that  point  boldly  and  rapidly  two  and 
one-half  miles,  it  would  reach  the  railroad  below  Marietta, 
cut  off  the  enemy's  right  and  centre  from  its  line  of  re- 
treat, and  then  either  part  could  be  overwhelmed  and 
destroyed. 

Accordingly  at  the  appointed  time  the  Seventeenth 
Corps  (Blair's)  circled  the  eastern  point  of  the  mountain 
and  threatened  the  enemy's  right.  The  Sixteenth  Corps 
(Dodge's),  next  on  the  right,  assaulted  the  heights  on  the 
northern  slope  of  the  mountain ;  the  Fifteenth  (Logan's) 
the  western  slope  of  the  mountain.  On  the  centre, 
Davis's  Division  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps  and  Newton's  of 
the  Fourth  constituted  the  assaulting  column,  supported 
on  the  right  by  Geary  and  Butterfield  of  Hooker's  Corps. 
On  the  extreme  right  of  our  line  was  stationed  Schofield, 
who  moved  forward  his  whole  force,  driving  the  enemy 
from  a  line  of  light  works.  The  position  to  be  attempted 
offered  but  a  desperate  chance  of  success.  On  the 
summit  of  the  rugged  mountain  peak,  covered  with  a 
dense  growth  of  underbrush,  the  enemy  had  stationed  a 
battery  of  twelve  guns,  from  which  they  maintained  a 


HISTOKY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  983 

withering  cross-fire  on  our  troops  engaged  in  forcing  a 
passage  up  the  steep  sides  of  the  mountain,  and  over  the 
abatis  and  rifle-pits  behind  which  the  enemy  lay  sheltered. 
The  utmost  efforts  of  the  men  could  not  avoid  a  repulse. 
The  Union  loss,  as  reported  by  Logan,  was  three  thousand 
five  hundred  and  twenty-one.  Generals  Harker  and 
McCook  were  among  the  slain. 

General  Sherman  did  not  rest  long  under  this  failure, 
and  Schofield  was  ordered  to  press  strongly  on  the  left, 
while,  on  July  1st,  McPherson,  being  relieved  by  Gar- 
rard's  Cavalry  in  front  of  Kenesaw,  moved  with  his 
whole  army  by  the  right,  threatening  ITickajack  Creek 
and  Turner's  Ferry  on  the  Chattahoochee.  Stoneman 
was  sent  to  the  river  below  Turner's.  The  result  was  the 
retreat  of  the  enemy  on  the  night  of  July  2d.  At  half- 
past  eight  A.  M.,  July  3d,  Sherman  entered  Marietta. 
Logan's  Corps  of  General  McPherson's  army,  which  had 
not  moved  far,  was  ordered  back  into  Marietta  by  the 
main  road,  and  McPherson  and  Schofield  were  instructed 
to  cross  JSFickajack  and  attack  the  enemy  in  flank  and 
rear,  and,  if  possible,  to  catch  him  in  the  confusion  of 
crossing  the  Chattahoochee ;  but  Johnston  had  foreseen 
and  provided  against  all  this,  and  had  covered  his  move- 
ment well.  He  had  intrenched  a  strong  tete  de  pont  at 
the  Chattahoochee,  .with  an  advanced  intrenched  line 
across  the  road  at  Smyrna  camp-meeting  ground,  five 
miles  from  Marietta. 

Here  Thomas  found  him,  his  front  covered  by  a  good 
parapet,  and  his  flank  behind  the  Nickajack  and  Rotten- 
wood  Creeks.  Ordering  a  garrison  for  Marietta,  and 
Logan  to  join  his  own  army  near  the  mouth  of  Nickajack, 
Sherman  overtook  Thomas  at  Smyrna.  On  the  4th  of 
July  he  pushed  a  strong  skirmish  line  down  the  main 
road,  capturing  the  entire  line  of  the  enemy's  pits,  and 
made  strong  demonstrations  along  Nickajack  Creek  and 
about  Turner's  Ferry.  This  had  the  desired  effect,  and 
the  next  morning  the  enemy  was  gone,  and  the  army 
moved  to  the  Chattahoochee,  Thomas's  left  flank  resting 
on  it  near  Paice's  Ferry,  McPherson' s  right  at  the  moutn 
of  Nickajack,  and  Schofield-  in  reserve.  The  enemy  lay 
behind  a  line  of  unusual  strength,  covering  the  railroad 
and  pontoon  bridges,  and  beyond  the  Chattahoochee. 

The  operations  of  General  Sherman  had  been  greatly 


984  HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT  REBELLION. 

harassed  by  the  movements  of  guerrillas,  and  on  his  ar- 
rival in  the  neighborhood  of  Marietta  he  issued  the  fol- 
lowing letter  to  the  people  of  Tennessee  and  Georgia, 
living  within  the  limits  of  the  Department  of  the  Cum- 
berland, for  their  information,  as  expressing  the  senti- 
ments of  the  department  commander : — 

"  HEAD-QUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OP  THE 
"  MISSISSIPPI,  IN  THE  FIELD,  BIG  SHANTY, 

"  GEORGIA,  June  21,  1864. 
"  General  BURBRIDGE,  Commanding  Division  of  Kentucky: 

"  GENERAL  : — The  recent  raid  of  Morgan,  and  the  concurrent  acts  of  men 
styling  themselves  Confederate  partisans  or  guerrillas,  calls  for  determined 
action  on  our  part. 

"  Even  on  the  Southern  '  State  Rights '  theory,  Kentucky  has  not  se- 
ceded. Her  people,  by  their  vote  and  their  actions,  have  adhered  to  their 
allegiance  to  the  National  Government,  and  the  South  would  now  coerce 
her  out  of  the  Union  and  into  theirs  by  the  very  dogma  of  '  coercion '  upon 
which  so  much  stress  was  laid  at  the  outset  of  the  war,  and  which  carried 
into  rebellion  the  people  of  the  Middle  or  Border  Slave  States. 

"  But,  politics  aside,  these  acts  of  the  so-called  partisans  or  guerrillas  are 
nothing  but  simple  murder,  horse-stealing,  arson,  and  other  well-defined 
crimes,  which  do  not  sound  as  well  under  their  true  names  as  more 
agreeable  ones  of  warlike  meaning. 

"  Now,  before  starting  on  this  campaign,  I  foresaw,  and  you  remember 
it,  that  this  very  case  would  arise,  and  I  asked  Governor  Bramlette  to  at 
once  organize  in  each  county  a  small,  trustworthy  band,  under  the  sheriff, 
and  at  one  dash  arrest  every  man  in  the  community  who  was  dangerous  to 
it ;  and  also  every  fellow  hanging  about  the  towns,  villages,  and  cross-roads 
who  had  no  honest  calling,  the  material  out  of  which  guerrillas  are  made 
up ;  but  this  sweeping  exhibition  of  power  doubtless  seemed  to  the 
Governor  rather  arbitrary. 

"  The  fact  is,  in  our  country  personal  liberty  has  been  so  well  secured  that 
public  safety  is  lost  sight  of  in  our  laws  and  institutions,  and  the  fact  is,  we 
are  thrown  back  one  hundred  years  in  civilization,  law,  and  every  thing 
else,  and  will  go  right  straight  to  anarchy  and  the  devil,  if  somebody 
don't  arrest  our  downward  progress. 

"  "We,  the  military,  must  do  it,  and  we  have  right  and  law  on  our  side. 
All  governments  and  communities  have  a  right  to  guard  against  real  and 
even  supposed  danger.  The  whole  people  of  Kentucky  must  not  be  kept 
in  a  state  of  suspense  and  real  danger,  lest  a  few  innocent  men  should  be 
wrongfully  accused. 

"  1.  You  may  order  all  your  post  and  district  commanders  that  guer- 
rillas are  not  soldiers,  but  wild  beasts,  unknown  to  the  usages  of  war.  To  be 
recognized  as  soldiers,  they  must  be  enlisted,  enrolled,  officered,  uniformed, 
armed,  and  equipped,  by  recognized  belligerent  power,  and  must,  if  detailed 
from  a  main  army,  be  of  sufficient  strength,  with  written  orders  from  some 
army  commander  to  do  some  mDitary  thing.  Of  course  we  have  recognized 
the  Confederate  Government  as  a  belligerent  power,  but  deny  their  right 
to  our  lands,  territories,  rivers,  coasts,  and  nationality — admitting  the  right 
to  rebel  and  move  to  some  other  country,  where  laws  and  customs  are 
more  in  accordance  with  their  own  ideas  and  prejudices. 

"  2.  The  civil  power  being  insufficient  to  protect  life  and  property,  ex 
necessitate  rei,  to  prevent  anarchy,  'which  nature  abhors,'  the  military 


HISTORY  OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  985 

steps  in,  and  is  rightful,  constitutional,  and  lawful.  Under  this  law  every- 
body can  be  made  to  '  stay  at  home  and  mind  his  and  her  own  business,1 
and,  if  they  won't  do  that,  can  be  sent  away,  where  they  can't  keep  their 
honest  neighbors  in  fear  of  danger,  robbery,  and  insult. 

"  Your  military  commanders,  provost-marshals,  and  -other  agents  may 
arrest  all  males  and  females  who  have  encouraged  or  harbored  guerrillas  and 
robbers,  and  you  may  cause  them  to  be  collected  in  Louisville,  and  when 
you  have  enough — say  three  or  four  hundred — I  will  cause  them  to  bo 
sent  down  the  Mississippi  through  their  guerrilla  gauntlet,  and  by  a  sailing- 
ship  send  them  to  a  land  where  they  may  take  their  negroes  and  make  a 
colony,  with  laws  and  a  future  of  their  own.  If  they  won't  live  in  peace 
in  such  a  garden  as  Kentucky,  why,  we  will  send  them  to  another  if  not  a 
better  land,  and  surely  this  would  be  a  kindness  to  them,  and  a  God's 
blessing  to  Kentucky. 

"  I  wish  you  to  be  careful  that  no  personalities  are  mixed  up  in  this,  nor 
does  a  full  and  generous  'love  of  country,'  '  of  the  South,'  of  their  State  or 
country,  form  a  cause  of  banishment,  but  that  devilish  spirit  which  will 
not  be  satisfied,  and  that  makes  war  the  pretext  of  murder,  arson,  theft  in 
all  its  grades,  perjury,  and  all  the  crimes  of  human  nature. 

"  My  own  preference  was,  and  is,  that  the  civil  authorities  in  Kentucky 
would  and  could  do  this  in  that  State ;  but,  if  they  will  not,  or  cannot,  then 
we  must,  for  it  must  be  done.  There  must  be  an  'end  to  strife,'  and  the 
honest,  industrious  people  of  Kentucky,  and  the  whole  world,  will  be 
benefited  and  rejoiced  at  the  conclusion,  however  arrived  at. 

"I  use  no  concealment  in  saying  that  I  do  not  object  to  men  or  women 
having  what  they  call  '  Southern  feeling,'  if  confined  to  love  of  country, 
and  of  peace,  honor,  and  security,  and  even  a  little  family  pride,  but  these 
become  '  crimes  '  when  enlarged  to  mean  love  of  murder,  of  war,  desola- 
tion, famine,  and  all  the  horrid  attendants  of  anarchy. 

"I  am,  with  respect,  your  friend, 

"W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major- General." 


986  HISTORY  OF  THE   GEEAT  EEBELLION. 


CHAPTER   LX. 

The  New  Position  of  the  Enemy. — Johnston  again  Turned  and  Pushed 
Back  upon  Atlanta. — Rousseau's  Raid. — Hood  Succeeds  Johnston. — In- 
vestment of  Atlanta. — Battles  of  July  20th  and  22d. — Death  of  McPher- 
son. — Cavalry  Raids  of  Stoneman  and  McCook. — Defeat  and  Capture  of 
Stoneman. — Battle  of  July  28th. — Prolongation  of  the  Union  Right 
"Wing. — Changes,  of  Commanders  in  Sherman's  Army. 

THE  oft-recurring  difficulty  again  presented  itself  to 
General  Sherman  of  the  enemy  holding  a  position  too 
strong  to  be  carried  by  assault,  even  with  the  superior 
force  that  the  Union  general  maintained  in  spite  of  the 
continued  waste  by  battle  and  disease.  The  position 
could  only  be  turned  by  crossing  the  rapid  and  deep 
Chattahoochee  on  bridges.  It  was  necessary  to  move 
promptly,  and  Schofield  was  ordered  to  cross  at  Soap 
Creek,  eight  miles  above  the  railroad  bridge.  This 
movement  was  completed  July  7th,  and  a  gun  and 
some  prisoners  were  captured.  At  the  same  time  Garrard 
moved  with  his  cavalry  upon  Roswell,  still  farther  up  the 
river,  destroying  some  cloth  factories  that  displayed  the 
French  flag.  He  was  ordered  to  hold  the  ford  at  Ros- 
well, but  was  soon  relieved  in  that  duty  by  a  division  of 
Thomas,  until  McPherson's  Corps  was  transferred  from 
the  extreme  right  to  the  extreme  left.  By  the  9th  three 
good  points  of  passage  had  been  secured  over  the  Chat- 
tahoochee, above  the  railroad  bridge.  Johnston  there- 
upon abandoned  his  tete  de  pont  on  the  night  of  the  9th, 
leaving  Sherman  master  of  the  country  north  and  west 
of  Atlanta,  and  eight  miles  distant  from  that  place.  The 
Federal  army^iad  now  been  advanced  from  the  line  of 
the  Tennessee  to  the  line  of  the  Chattahoochee,  and  in 
view  of  the  long  marching  and  hard  fighting  to  which 
they  had  been  subjected,  the  troops  were  permitted  to 
enjoy  a  few  days'  repose.  Meantime  a  cavalry  force 
under  Rousseau  had  been  sent  to  cut  the  railroad  at 
Opelika,  Alabama,  leading  from  Georgia  to  Alabama 
and  Mississippi.  He  started  on  the  10th  of  July  from 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  987 

Decatur,  Alabama,  and  reached  Marietta  on  the  23d, 
having  accomplished  his  mission  with  considerable  suc- 
cess and  trifling  loss. 

Meantime,  the  long  retreat  of  Johnston  having  brought 
him  to  the  south  side  of  the  Chattahoochee,  and  within 
eight  miles  of  Atlanta,  vehement  demands  were  made 
at  the  South  that  he  should  be  relieved  of  his  command. 
Accordingly,  on  July  17th,  he  was  succeeded  by  General 
Hood.*  The  impatience  of  the  Southern  people  de- 
manded more  vigorous  operations  than  those  which  had 
been  conducted  by  Johnston,  who,  with  a  force  consider- 
ably less  than  that  of  Sherman,  had  opposed  him  step  by 
step,  as  he  advanced  from  Tunnel  Hill  to  the  Chattahoo- 
chee, inflicting  much  loss,  without  himself  sustaining  any 
serious  disaster.  The  arduous  task  imposed  upon  him 
was  overlooked,  and  the  fact  only  was  noticed  that  Sher- 
man had  been  enabled  to  press  steadily  on,  until  Atlanta, 
under  the  flanking  process,  was  in  danger.  A  new 
offensive  policy  was  to  be  adopted  under  General  Hood, 
who,  however,  was  provided  with  no  additional  means  to 
carry  it  out.  The  fact  that  Johnston's  army,  after  sixty 
days'  retreat,  was  still  considered  available  for  the  duty 
to  be  imposed  upon  it,  is  a  sufficient  proof  of  the  ability  of 
that  commander. 


*  John  B.  Hood  was  born  in  Bath  County,  Kentucky,  in  1831,  and 
graduated  at  West  Point  in  1853.  After  Seeing  considerable  service  in 
the  West,  he  resigned  his  commission,  in  April,  1861,  and  joined  the  rebel 
army.  He  was  appointed  colonel  of  a  Texas  regiment,  in  September,  and 
in  the  succeeding  spring  a  brigadier-general,  and  for  gallantry  at  the  battle 
of  Gaines's  Mill  was  promoted  to  be  a  major-general.  He  commanded  a 
division  of  Longstreet's  Corps  in  the  Second  Bull  Run  campaign  and  in  the 
succeeding  battles  of  Antietam  and  Fredericksburg,  and  at  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg  was  severely  wounded  in  the  arm.  He  accompanied  Long- 
street  to  the  West,  in  the  autumn  of  1863,  and  lost  a  leg  at  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga.  He  was  now  commissioned  a  lieutenant-general,  and  ap- 
pointed to  command  one  of  the  three  corps  of  Johnston's  army  in  Georgia. 
In  July,  1864,  he  superseded  that  general,  and  on  the  20th,  22d,  and  28th 
of  the  month  had  severe  encounters  with  Sherman  in  front  of  Atlanta,  in 
which  he  suffered  prodigious  losses.  On  September  1st,  being  flanked  by 
Sherman,  he  evacuated  Atlanta  and  retired  upon  McDonough.  In  October 
he  moved  against  Sherman's  communications,  and,  passing  through  North- 
ern Alabama,  invaded  Tennessee  in  the  latter  part  of  November.  After 
the  hard-fought  battle  of  Franklin,  he  moved  upon  Nashville,  in  front  of 
which  place  he  was  disastrously  defeated,  on  December  15th  and  16th,  by 
Thomas,  in  a  series  of  battles,  which  broke  the  rebel  strength  in  the  South- 
west. He  retreated  into  Mississippi  with  the  remnant  of  his  army,  and  in 
January,  1865,  was  relieved  of  his  command. 


988  HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT   REBELLION. 

On  the  17th  of  July,  Sherman,  having  rested  and  re 
cruited  his  army,  resumed  his  forward  movement. 
Thomas  was  ordered  to  cross  at  Powers's  and  Paice's 
Ferry  bridges,  and  to  march  by  Buckhead.  Schofield, 
already  across  at  the  mouth  of  Soap  Creek,  was  ordered 
to  march  by  Cross  Keys,  and  McPherson  was  to  direct  his 
course  from  Roswell  straight  against  the  Augusta  road 
at  some  point  east  of  Decatur,  near  Stone  Mountain. 
Garrard's  Cavalry  acted  with  McPherson,  and  Stoneman 
and  McCook  watched  the  river  and  roads  below  the  rail- 
road. On  the  17th,  the  whole  army  advanced  from  their 
camps,  and  formed  a  general  line  along  the  Old  Peach- 
tree  road.  McPherson  reached  the  Augusta  Railroad  on 
the  18th.  On  Tuesday,  July  19th,  a  reconnoissance  was 
pushed  forward  as  far  as  Peach-tree' Creek,  an  insignif- 
icant stream  rising  five  or  six  miles  northwest  of  Atlanta, 
and  flowing  southwesterly  to  the  Chattahoochee,  near 
the  railroad  bridge  northwest  of  Atlanta.  Behind  this 
stream  the  rebels  lay  sheltered  and  awaiting  our  ap- 
proach. They  sought  by  stratagem  to  take  General 
Sherman  at  disadvantage.  But  a  show  of  opposition 
was  made  to  the  passage  of  Peach-tree  Creek,  and  our 
whole  army  were  soon  across  and  in  line  of  battle,  the 
Fourteenth  Corps,  Palmer's,  and  the  Twentieth,  Hooker's, 
on  the  right ;  Newton's  Division  of  the  Fourth  Corps, 
Howard's,  on  the  right  centre ;  the  Twenty-third,  Scho- 
field's,  on  the  centre  ;  t*he  Sixteenth,  Dodge's,  on  the  left 
centre ;  and  in  reserve,  the  Fifteenth,  Logan's,  and  the 
Seventeenth,  Blair's,  on  the  right.  Our  right  was  covered 
by  Garrard's  Cavalry  Division. 

On  the  20th,  all  the  armies  had  closed  -in,  converging 
towards  Atlanta;  but  as  a  gap  existed  between  Schoneld 
and  Thomas,  two  divisions  of  Howard's  Corps  of  Thomas's 
Army  were  moved  to  the  left  to  connect  with  Schofield, 
leaving  Newton's  Division  of  the  same  corps  on  the  Buck- 
head  road.  Meantime,  the  main  body  of  the  enemy  lay 
concealed  in  the  woods  in  front,  prepared  to  assail  our 
columns  while  changing  position  and  unprepared.  Thev 
hoped  by  massing  against  our  weakened  centre  to  break 
through  there,  dividing  our  army  in  twain,  and  leaving  both 
wings  open  to  attack.  It  was  a  well-laid  scheme,  and 
one  that  seems  to  have  failed  as  much  from  fortuitous 
circumstances  as  from  preparation  on  our  part.  At  four 


HISTORY   OP   THE   GEEAT   KEBELLION.  989 

o'clock,  their  columns  emerged  from  tlie  concealment  of 
the  woods,  advancing  without  skirmishers  against  our 
lines. 

The  attack  took  Newton  by  surprise,  but,  being  behind 
a  line  of  hastily-erected  rail-piles,  his  men  were  almost 
instantly  rallied,  and  held  the  enemy  in  check,  with  the 
assistance  of  twelve  guns  which  they  were  fortunately 
able  to  get  into  position  on  the  left,  where  the  rebels  were 
pressing  to  cut  oif  their  retreat.  Four  guns  were  also 
now  in  position  on  Newton's  right,  where  they  rendered 
important  service.  Almost  at  the  instant  of  the  attack 
on  Newton,  the  advance  division  of  Hooker,  under  Geary, 
was  struck  by  the  advancing  columns  of  the  enemy  and 
hurled  back  in  confusion.  But  they,  too,  ultimately 
rallied  and  recovered  their  former  position,  closing  up 
the  gap  through  which  the  enemy  had  entered.  On 
Newton's  right,  Ward  was  advancing  with  his  division, 
when  the  enemy  were  discovered  charging  upon  him. 
With  promptitude  the  order  was  given  to  meet  the  charge 
with  counter-charge,  the  two  columns  mingling  in  battle, 
and  the  enemy  being  finally  driven  back.  Farther  to 
the  right,  next  to  Geary,  Williams's  Division  was  engaged, 
and  suffered  more  or  less.  By  nine  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, the  enemy,  thoroughly  repulsed  in  every  attack,  had 
fallen  back  to  his  intrenchments,  leaving  many  of  his  dead 
and  wounded  and  a  thousand  prisoners  in  our  hands. 
His  total  loss  was  estimated  by  Sherman  at  five  thousand. 
Our  loss  is  summed  up  officially  as  follows :  Williams's 
Division,  six  hundred  and  twenty-seven;  Geary's  Divi- 
sion, four  hundred  and  fifty-one ;  Ward's  Division,  five 
hundred  and  twenty-seven — total,  one  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  five.  Newton's  Division  (official),  one  hundred 
and  two  ;  Fourteenth  Corps,  two  hundred — total  loss, 
one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  seven. 

On  the  night  of  the  21st,  the  day  succeeding  the  assault, 
the  enemy's  line  on  Peach-tree  Creek  was  drawn  in  and 
shortened,  their  forces  being  massed  for  a  second  assault, 
this  time  on  our  left  wing,  our  right  having  defied  their 
stubborn  attempt  to  turn  it.  Though  the  noise  of  their 
movement  was  heard  in  our  lines,  its  full  meaning  was 
not  discovered,  the  withdrawal  of  the  enemy  from  their 
main  line  of  fortifications,  one  and  a  half  miles  nearer 
Atlanta,  seeming  to  follow  legitimately  from  the  repulse 


990  HISTOKY   OF   THE  GKEAT  REBELLION. 

they  had  received  on  our  right.  But  it  was  soon  evident 
that  Hood,  determined  on  another  assault,  had  sought,  by 
retiring,  to  drag  us  oa  farther,  that  he  might  again  attack 
our  lines  before  they  had  opportunity  to  re-form  in  their 
new  position  nearer  Atlanta. 

The  first  impression  of  General  Sherman,  when  the 
lines  of  the  enemy  were  found  to  be  abandoned,  on  the 
morning  of  the  22d,  was  that  it  was  no  longer  the  inten- 
tion of  Hood  to  defend  Atlanta.  Accordingly,  our  ad- 
vancing ranks  swept  across  the  strong  and  well-finished 
parapet  of  the  enemy,  aud  closed  in  upon  Atlanta,  until 
they  occupied  a  line  in  the  form  of  a  circle  of  about  two 
miles  radius,  where  the  enemy  was  again  found,  occupying 
in -force  a  line  of  finished  redoubts,  which  had  been  pre- 
pared for  more  than  a  year,  covering  all  the  roads  leading 
into  Atlanta,  and  busy  in  connecting  these  redoubts  with 
curtains  strengthened  by  rifle-trenches,  abatis,  andchevaux- 
de-frise.  Mcr*herson,  who  had  advanced  from  Decatur, 
continued  to  follow  substantially  the  railroad,  with  the 
Fifteenth  Corps,  Logan,  the  Seventeenth,  Blair,  on  its 
left,  and  the  Sixteenth,  Dodge,  on  its  right ;  but  as  the 
general  advance  of  all  the  armies  contracted  the  circle, 
the  Sixteenth  Corps  was  thrown  out  of  line  by  the  Fif- 
teenth connecting  on  the  right  with  Schofield,  who  held 
the  centre.  Meantime,  McPherson,  on  the  night  of  the 
21st,  had  gained  a  high  hill  to  the  south  and  east  of  the 
railroad,  whence  the  Seventeenth  Corps  had,  after  a  severe 
fight,  driven  the  enemy,  which  gave  him  a  commanding 
position  within  easy  view  of  the  very  heart  of  the  city. 
He  had  thrown  out  working  parties  to  it,  and  was  making 
preparations  to  occupy  it  in  strength  with  batteries.  The 
Sixteenth  Corps,  on  the  morning  of  the  22d,  was  ordered 
from  right  to  left  to  occupy  this  position  and  make  it  a 
strong  general  left  flank,  and  Dodge  moved  his  men  by  a 
diagonal  path  or  wagon-track  leading  from  the  Decatur 
road  in  the  direction  of  Blair's  left  flank. 

"While  this  movement  of  Dodge  was  going  on,  the 
enemy,  under  Hardee,  had  issued  out  of  Atlanta,  and, 
making  a  wide  circuit  to  the  east,  enveloped  Blair's  left 
flank,  and  struck  Dodge's  column  in  motion.  Blair's  line 
was  substantially  along  the  old  line  of  rebel  trench,  but 
it  was  fashioned  to  fight  outward.  A  space  of  wooded 
ground  of  near  half  a  mile  intervened  between  the  head 


HISTORY  OP  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  991 

of  Dodge's  column  and  Blair's  line,  through  which  the 
enemy  had  poured,  and  to  fill  which  Wangelin's  Brigade 
of  the  Fifteenth  Corps  was  by  General  McPnerson  ordered 
across  from  the  railroad.  It  came  across  on  the  double- 
quick  and  checked  the  enemy,  though  not  in  time 
to  prevent  the  capture  of  Murray's  Battery  of  regular 
artillery,  which  was  moving  past,  unsuspicious  of  danger. 
While  Hardee  attacked  in  flank,  Stewart's  Corps  was  to 
attack  in  front,  directly  out  of  the  main  works,  but  for- 
tunately these  two  attacks  were  not  simultaneous.  The 
enemy  swept  across  the  hill  which  our  men  were  then 
fortifying,  and  captured  the  pioneer  company,  its  tools, 
and  almost  the  entire  working  party,  and  bore  down  on 
our  left  until  he  encountered  Giles  A.  Smith's  Division 
of  the  Seventeenth  Corps,  who  was  somewhat  "  in  air," 
and  forced  to  fight  first  from  one  side  of  the  old  rifle 
parapet,  and  then  from  the  other,  gradually  withdrawing, 
regiment  by  regiment,  so  as  to  form  a  flank  to  General 
Leggett's  Division,  which  held  the  apex  of  the  hill,  which 
was  the  only  part  that  was  deemed  essential  to  hold.  The 
line,  thus  formed  by  the  connection  of  Smith  by  his  right 
with  Leggett,  was  enabled  for  four  hours  to  meet  and 
repulse  all  the  enemy's  attacks,  which  were  numerous  and 
persistent.  The  obstinacy  with  which  the  ground  was 
held  discouraged  the  enemy,  and  at  four  o'clock  he  gave 
up  the  attempt.  In  the  mean  time,  Wheeler's  Cavalry 
fell  upon  General  Sprague  at  Decatur,  where  the  trains 
of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  were  parked.  Sprague 
succeeded  in  bringing  them  off,  however,  wTith  the  excep- 
tion of  three  wagons. 

Meantime,  McPherson,*  who  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morn- 

*  James  B.  McPherson  was  born  in  Sandusky  County,  Ohio,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1828,  and  graduated  at  West  Point  in  1853,  joining  the  Engineer  Corps 
as  brevet  second  lieutenant.  Until  September,  1854,  he  was  assistant  in- 
Btructor  of  practical  engineering  at  the  Military  Academy.  From  that  time 
till  August,  1861,  he  was  engaged,  first  on  the  defences  of  New  York  Har- 
bor, next  in  facilitating  the  navigation  of  the  Hudson,  next  in  constructing 
Fort  Delaware,  and  finally  in  fortifying  Alcatraz  Island,  in  San  Francisco 
Bay.  He  became  full  second  lieutenant  in  December,  1854,  and  first  lieu- 
tenant in  December,  1858.  In  August,  1861,  he  was  ordered  from  Califor- 
nia to  attend  to  the  defences  of  Boston  Harbor.  Soon  after,  he  got  his  cap- 
taincy, dating  from  August,  1861.  In  November,  1861,  he  became  aide-de- 
camp to  General  Halleck,  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel,  and  was  chief 
engineer  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  under  Grant,  in  the  reduction  of 
Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  receiving  for  his  service  a  nomination  as  brevet 


992  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

ing  was  in  consultation  with  General  Sherman  at  head- 
quarters, rode  to  the  front  on  hearing  the  firing,  and  hav- 
ing sent  off  his  staff  with  various  orders,  the  last  of  which 
was  that  to  Wangelin,  to  fill  the  gap  between  Dodge  and 
Blair's  line,  turned  into  a  narrow  cross-road  leading  to  the 
rear  of  Smith's  Division.  He  had  not  gone  far  when  a 
volley  from  the  enemy,  whose  skirmish  line  had  crept 
up  to  this  road,  struck  him  from  his  horse.  He  was  shot 
through  the  lungs,  and  fell  dead.  General  John  A.  Lo- 
gan, commanding  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  then  temporarily 
assumed  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee. 

At  four  P.  M.  a  pause  occurred  in  the  battle,  occasioned 
by  Hood's  massing  troops  for  an  assault  on  the  Fifteenth 
Corps,  which  held  the  right  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee 
behind  substantial  breastworks.  At  four  p.  M.,  while  a 
feigned  attack  was  maintained  against  the  Union  left,  a 
heavy  force  suddenly  appeared  in  front  of  the  left  of  the 
Fifteenth  Corps,  driving  before  it  a  couple  of  regiments 
of  skirmishers,  and  capturing  two  guns.  Pushing  rapidly 
on,  it  forced  Lightburn,  who  held  this  part  of  the  line, 
back  in  disorder,  taking  from  him  a  twenty-pounder  Par- 
major  of  engineers,  to  date  February  16th,  1862.  He  was  at  Shiloh,  and 
for  services  there  rendered  was  nominated  for  a  brevet  colonelcy  of  engi- 
neers, to  date  April  7th,  1862.  He  had,  as  colonel  on  Halleck's  staff,  the 
chief  engineering  charge  of  the  approaches  to  Corinth,  which  ended  in  its 
evacuation.  On  the  15th  of  May,  1862,  he  became  brigadier-general  of  vol- 
unteers, and,  the  next  month,  superintended  with  great  skill  all  the  military 
railroads  in  General  Grant's  department.  He  was  at  luka,  and  again  at 
Corinth  in  October,  1862,  acting  with  so  much  gallantry  as  to  be  promoted 
to  a  major-generalcy,  to  date  from  October  3d.  From  that  time  till  the  close 
of  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  when  his  engineering  powers  came  into  full  play, 
his  career  was  a  course  of  triumph.  At  the  recommendation  of  General 
Grant,  he  was  made  a  brigadier-general  of  the  regular  army,  with  rank 
dating  from  August  1st,  1862.  Two  months  later  he  conducted  a  column 
into  Mississippi,  and  repulsed  the  enemy  at  Canton.  In  February,  1864,  he 
was  second  in  command  to  Sherman,  in  the  latter's  famous  movable  column, 
which  marched  from  Vicksburg  to  Meridian.  Finally,  in  the  first  Atlanta 
campaign,  his  command  was  the  Department  of  the  Tennessee,  including 
the  Fifteenth,  Sixteenth,  and  Seventeenth  Corps,  constituting  the  flanking 
force  which,  moving  rapidly  on  one  or  the  other  wing,  was  employed  to 
force  the  enemy  back  to  Atlanta.  In  some  respects,  the  burden  of  the  cam- 
paign, next  under  Sherman,  fell  on  him.  He  fought  at  Resaca,  and  the 
battle  near  Dallas  was  wholly  his.  At  Allatoona  and  Gulp  Farm  he  was 
again  distinguished,  was  actively  though  not  hotly  engaged  at  Kenesaw, 
and  on  the  17th  he  cut  the  line  between  Lee  and  Johnston  by  occupying 
Decatur,  on  the  Augusta  Railroad.  Three  days  later  he  fought  a  severe 
battle,  from  which  he  came  out  only  to  fall,  shot  through  the  lungs,  early 
in  the  day  of  Friday,  July  22d,  at  the  early  *ge  of  thirty-six  years. 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  993 

rott  and  four  guns,  and  separated  Wood's  and  Harrow's 
Divisions  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps.  Sherman,  being  pres- 
ent, ordered  some  batteries  of  Schofield  to  a  position  that 
commanded  a  flank  fire  upon  the  enemy.  The  Fifteenth 
Corps  was  then  ordered  to  regain  the  lost  ground  at  any 
cost.  This,  after  a  desperate  struggle,  was  successful,  and 
the  enemy  retired  with  heavy  loss,  carrying  off  only  the 
two  guns  originally  captured.  The  battle  terminated  with 
a  Federal  loss  of  three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-two, killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  and  ten  guns. 
The  enemy's  loss  equalled,  if  it  did  not  exceed,  twelve 
thousand,  including  over  three  thousand  killed  and  three 
thousand  prisoners.  They  also  lost  eighteen  stands  of 
colors  and  five  thousand  stands  of  arms. 

On  the  23d,  Garrard,  who  had  been  dispatched  to  Cov- 
ington,  on  the  Augusta  road,  forty-two  miles  east  of  At- 
lanta, returned,  having  succeeded  in  destroying  the  bridges 
at  Uleofauhatchee  and  Yellow  Rivers,  besides  burning  a 
train  of  cars,  a  large  quantity  of  cotton  (two  thousand 
bales),  and  the  depots  of  stores  at  Covington  and  Conyer's 
Station. 

Sherman  now  addressed  himself  to  the  task  of  reaching 
the  Macon  road,  over  which  of  necessity  came  the  stores 
and  ammunition  that  alone  maintained  the  Confederate 
army  in  Atlanta.  For  this  purpose  a  new  movement  by 
the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  was  ordered.  It  was  to  pro- 
ceed by  the  right  towards  East  Point,  a  station  on  the  At- 
lanta and  Macon  Railroad,  southwest  of  Atlanta,  while- 
simultaneously  the  whole  of  the  cavalry  was  to  strike  a 
blow  at  the  Macon  road.  The  leaders  of  this  raid  were 
Stoneman  and  McCook,  of  whom  the  former  had  a  force 
of  five  thousand  men,  comprising  his  own  division  and 
that  of  Garrard,  and  the  latter  a  force  of  four  thousand^ 
comprising  his  own  troopers  and  the  cavalry  of  Rousseau, 
just  returned  from  Opelika.  Stoneman  was  to  move  by 
the  left  around  Atlanta  to  McDonough,  and  McCook  by 
the  right  on  Fayetteville,  and  both  were  to  meet  on  the 
night  of  July  28th,  on  the  Macon  road,  near  Lovejoy's. 
It  was  supposed  that  this  joint  force  would  be  equal  to 
any  thing  that  Wheeler  could  bring  against  it. 

Previous  to  starting,  Stoneman  asked  permission  to  ex- 
tend his  raid  to  Macon  and  Andersonville,  with  a  view 
of  releasing  the  Union  prisoners  confined  there.  After 

61 


994  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

some  hesitation,  Sherman  consented,  on  the  condition  that 
Wheeler's  Cavalry  should  first  be  put  hors  de  combat,  and 
the  railroad  effectually  destroyed.  On  the  27th  the  two 
expeditions  started  forth,  but  Stoneman  almost  imme- 
diately pushed  for  the  neighborhood  of  Macon,  ninety 
miles  distant,  where  he  arrived  on  the  30th ;  Garrard  re- 
maining at  Flat  Rock  to  cover  the  movement.  The  ene- 
my appear,  however,  to  have  been  fully  apprised  of  his 
design,  and  had  sent  all  the  prisoners  from  Macon  to 
Charleston.  Meanwhile,  the  rebel  General  Iverson,  who 
had  been  on  Stoneman's  track  since  the  27th,  overtook 
him  on  the  28th,  at  the  junction  of  South  and  Yellow 
"Rivers,  some  sixty  miles  northwest  of  Macon.  A  spirited 
fight  ensued.  Kelley's  and  Hume's  rebel  cavalry  fought 
the  command  that  Stoneman  detached  for  the  purpose  of 
delaying  pursuit.  Iverson  suspected  the  manoauvre,  and 
left  !Kelley  and  Hume  to  finish  the  fight,  while  he  passed 
around  the  party  and  continued  the  pursuit.  Stoueman, 
•when  he  neared  Macon,  detached  a  party  to  operate  on 
Milledgeville  and  Eatonton.  The  country  around  was 
very  unfavorable  for  cavalry  operations,  and  it  was  soon 
discovered  that  a  brigade  of  rebel  infantry  had  wheeled 
from  our  flank  and  had  taken  up  position  along  the  main 
route,  thus  heading  off  Stoneman.  The  rebel  Armstrong's 
Brigade  of  cavalry,  comprising  the  First  and  Second 
Kentucky,  had  come  down  on  Stoneman's  left  flank  at 
the  same  time,  thus,  with  the  troops  in  his  rear,  com- 
pletely surrounding  him.  Here  it  happened,  by  a  strange 
coincidence,  that  the  First  and  Second  Kentucky  of  Ad- 
ams's Brigade  were  pitted  against  their  rebel  namesakes. 
Stoneman  now  discovered  Iverson's  command  above 
Clinton,  disputing  his  return.  He  quickly  decided  that 
he  could  not  escape  on  either  flank,  and  determined  to 
fight  through  the  centre.  His  command  numbered  nearly 
twenty-five  hundred  men,  a  portion  of  whom  were  dis- 
mounted, and  sent  forward  as  skirmishers.  The  enemy 
continued  to  press  him  more  closely,  and,  after  various 
fruitless  attempts  to  make  head  against  them,  orders  were 
given  to  the  commanders  of  regiments  to  break  through 
the  opposing  lines  and  escape  in  the  readiest  manner  pos- 
sible. Stoneman  himself,  with  several  hundred  men  and 
a  section  of  artillery,  remained  to  occupy  the  attention  of 
the  enemy,  but  was  finally  overpowered  and  obliged  to 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  995 

surrender.  Of  bis  three  brigades,  one  returned  uninjured, 
one  was  somewhat  scattered,  but  eventually  found  its  way 
back  to  the  Union  lines,  and  the  third  was  captured  with 
him.  Garrard's  Division  proceeded  no  farther  than  Cov- 
ington  on  the  Augusta  Railroad.  Stoneman's  total  loss 
probably  exceeded  a  thousand  men,  with  three  guns. 

Meantime,  McCook  with  his  force  reached  the  rendez- 
vous at  the  appointed  time,  after  having  burned  five  hun- 
dred wagons  and  gathered  up  several  hundred  prisoners. 
The  enemy  collecting  around  him,  however,  he  moved  to 
Newman  upon  the  Atlanta  and  West  Point  road.  Here 
he  was  hemmed  in,  and  was  obliged  to  drop  his  captures 
and  cut  his  way  out,  with  the  loss  of  five  hundred  men. 
The  whole  expedition  must  be  considered  a  costly  failure, 
as  the  enemy's  communications  were  only  temporarily 
interrupted. 

On  the  26th  of  July,  General  Howard  *  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  by  order  of  the  Pres- 
ident, while  General  Logan  returned  to  his  own  corps, 
the  Fifteenth.  About  the  same  time  Hooker  and  Palmer 
were  relieved,  at  their  own  request,  of  their  commands, 
and  were  succeeded,  the  former  by  General  Slocuin  and 
the  latter  by  General  Jefferson  C.  Davis.  As  Slocum 
was  then  in  Yicksburg,  his  place  was  temporarily  filled 
by  General  H.  S.  Williams.  General  D.  S.  Stanley  also 
succeeded  Howard  in  command  of  the  Fourth  Corps. 


*  Oliver  Otis  Howard  was  born  in  Leeds,  Maine,  in  1830,  and  graduated 
at  Bowdoin  College  in  1850,  and  at  West  Point  in  1854.  He  was  appoint- 
ed instructor  of  mathematics  at  the  Military  Academy  in  1857,  but  resigned 
his  commission  in  1861  to  take  command  of  a  regiment  of  Maine  volunteers. 
He  commanded  a  brigade  at  Bull  Run,  and  for  gallant  conduct  in  that  bat- 
tle was  commissioned  a  brigadier-general  of  volunteers.  He  fought  at 
"Williamsburg,  lost  an  arm  at  Fair  Oaks,  and  after  the  battle  of  Antietam 
took  Sedgwick's  Division  in  Sumner's  Corps.  Early  in  1863  he  was  as- 
signed to  the  command  of  the  Eleventh  Corps.  He  was  present  at  Chan- 
cellorsville  and  Gettysburg,  and  in  the  autumn  accompanied  his  corps  to 
Chattanooga,  participating  in  the  victory  of  November  25th  in  front  of  that 
place.  Soon  afterwards  he  received  command  of  the  Fourth  Corps,  and 
made  the  campaign  from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta.  He  Succeeded  McPher- 
son  as  commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and  in  the  expedition 
from  Atlanta  to  Savannah  he  commanded  the  right  wing  of  Sherman's  army 
He  also  commanded  a  wing  in  the  march  northward  from  Savannah  which 
terminated  in  the  surrender  of  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  and  all  the  rebel 
forces  under  his  command.  Since  the  conclusion  of  the  war  he  has  held 
the  office  of  Commissioner  of  Freedmen.  He  is  a  man  of  deep  religious 
principles,  and  has  been  called  the  "Havelock  of  America." 


996  HISTOEY   OF   THE   GKEAT   KEBELLION. 

Meanwhile  the  army  had  been  making  a  movement  en 
echelon  from  left  to  right,  by  which  the  line  was  prolong-^ 
ed  due  south,  facing  east.  The  right  was  now  held  by  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee,  Thomas  being  in  the  centre  and 
Schofield  on  the  left.  To  protect  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee from  any  sudden  attack  in  flank  while  this  move- 
ment was  in  progress,  Da  vis's  Division  of  the  Fourteenth 
Corps  was  posted  so  as  to  be  within  easy  supporting  dis- 
tance of  Howard.  The  enemy,  observing  the  movement, 
and  perceiving  that  it  was  Sherman's  intent  to  swing; 
around  so  as  to  hold  the  Macon  Railroad,  massed  his 
troops  on  the  28th  in  the  same  direction.  About  noon 
Stewart's  Corps  attacked  Logan,  who  had  just  got  into 
position  on  the  right,  his  corps  having  been  the  first  de- 
tached from  its  former  position  on  the  left.  At  first  the 
enemy  was  successful  in  his  onset,  his  cavalry  turning  our 
flank  and  inflicting  considerable  loss.  But,  by  the  mid- 
dle of  the  afternoon,  the  fortune  of  battle  had  changed, 
and  our  men,  aided  by  hastily-built  intrenchmenta,  re- 
pulsed every  charge  of  the  enemy.  An  advance  was  then 
ordered,  and  the  enemy  was  forced  back  to  his  own  works, 
leaving  the  field  in  our  possession.  The  fighting  was  very 
severe  till  nightfall,  although  there  was  little  artillery 
firing.  Our  loss  was  about  six  hundred,  and  the  enemy's 
nearly  five  thousand.  Had  Davis's  Division  come  up  on 
the  Bell's  Ferry  road,  as  had  been  looked  for,  at  any  time 
before  four  o'clock,  \vhat  was  simply  a  complete  repulse 
would  have  been  a  disastrous  rout  to  the  enemy. 

Meanwhile  there  was  a  general  advance  along  the  line, 
but  our  forces  were  driven  back,  the  enemy  being  strongly 
posted.  The  Fourth  and  Fourteenth  Corps  were  hotly 
engaged,  and  there  was  heavy  artillery  firing  in  their  front 
all  day  and  night,  and  on  the  day  succeeding.  But  night 
fell  upon  a  divided  field.  Our  right  was  at  one  time  in 
danger,  but  was  handsomely  rescued. 


HISTOET   OF  THE  GREAT  EEBELLION.  99Y 


CIIAPTEK   LXI. 

Siege  of  Atlanta. — Position  of  the  City. — Topography. — The  Enemy's 
Strength. — Sherman  moves  to  the  Right. — Wheeler's  Raid. — Kil- 
patrick's  Raid. — Grand  Flank  Movement  of  the  Army  on  the  Macon 
Railroad. — Defeat  of  the  Enemy  at  Jonesboro.. — Evacuation  of 
Atlanta^— Congratulatory  Order  of  General  Sherman. — Truce. — De- 
population^of  Atlanta. — Correspondence  between  Sherman  and  Hood. 
— Results  of  the  Campaign. 

WITH  the  affair  which  was  described  at  the  close  of  our 
last  chapter,  the  enemy  ceased  his  efforts  to  prevent  the 
extension  of  Sherman's  right  flank ;  but  every  forward 
step  of  the  latter  was  resisted  with  great  force  and  skill. 
Sherman  was  now  settled  down  to  the  siege  of  Atlanta, 
with  little  hope,  however,  of  either  taking  it  by  assault 
or  reducing  it  while  its  communications  were  intact.  A 
description  of  the  locality  may  not  be  here  misplaced : 
As  seen  from  Stone  Mountain,  a  vast  elevation  of  granite 
sixteen  miles  northeast,  Atlanta  appears  situated  upon  a 
large  plain,  but  as  the  observer  descends  from  this  giddy 
height  and  travels  in  the  direction  of  either  point  of  the 
compass,  his  progress  is  obstructed  by  sharp  "  pitches  " 
and  narrow  "  ravines,"  through  many  of  which  flow  small 
rivulets.  To  such  an  extent  is  this  the  character  of  the 
surface,  that  scarcely  an  acre  of  level  ground  can  be 
found  in  the  limits  of  the  city.  The  soil,  where  there  is 
any,  is  light  and  sandy,  with  a  substratum  of  red  clay. 
Other  portions  are  gravelly  and  sterile.  The  most  of  the 
country  is  still  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber. 
This  description  holds  good  until  within  a  few  miles  north 
of  Marietta,  twenty-one  miles  north  of  Atlanta,  including 
Dallas,  lying  a  little  northwest  of  Marietta. 

The  city  is  laid  out  in  a  Circle,  two  miles  in  diameter, 
in  the  centre  of  which  was  the  passenger  depot,  since 
destroyed  by  fire,  from  which  radiate  railroads  to  every 
quarter  of  the  South.  On  the  north  side  of  the  depot  is 
a  park.  Opposite  the  three  vacant  sides  were  situated  the 
three  principal  hotels,  and  in  the  business  portion  of  the 


998  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

city  were  many  fine  blocks  of  buildings.  Before  the  war 
these  were  mostly  filled  with  consignments  of  goods  from 
the  large  cities  of  the  North  and  Northwest  for  the  sup- 
ply of  the  cotton  regions.  But  the  city  had  become  one 
vast  Government  storehouse,  containing  the  machine- 
shops  of  the  principal  railroads,  the  most  extensive  rolling 
mill  in  the  South,  founderies,  pistol  and  tent  factories, 
<fec.,  &c.  •  In  addition  there  were  works  for  casting  shot 
and  shell,  making  gun-carriages,  cartridges,  caps,  shoes, 
clothing,  ifcc.,  &c.  Encircling  the  city  was  a  line  of  rifle- 
pits,  nine  miles  in  length  and  about  thirty  inches  high,  upon 
slight  eminences.  At  nearly  regular  intervals  Jhere  were 
planted  twelve  or  fourteen  batteries.  The  fortifications 
were  constructed  as  a  defence  from  raids,  and  for  the  year 
previous  had  been  manned  with  a  small  force. 

This  line  of  works  had  now  become  very  strong,  and 
extended  round  the  city,  within  the  lines  General  Sher- 
man had  drawn  about  it.  Between  the  two  armies 
stretched  a  narrow  belt  of  wooded  and  hilly  ground, 
which  was  the  scene  of  a  constant  series  of  skirmishes. 
The  enemy  had  a  decided  advantage  in  his  fortifications, 
and  the  greater  facility  of  movement  afforded  by  the  in- 
terior position.  The  force  at  the  disposal  of  General 
Hood  was  not,  however,  large,  and  he  was  looking 
earnestly  for  re-enforcements.  The  strength  of  his  army 
was  not  known.  "* Johnston's  veterans,  by  his  official  re- 
port, June  25th,  1864,  numbered  forty-six  thousand  six 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  effective  men  of  all  arms, 
Wheeler' s  Cavalry  included.  After  that  time  he  received 
enough  veteran  troops  and  Georgia  militia  to  bring  his 
force  up  to  sixty-five  or  seventy  thousand  men,  from 
which  were  to  be  deducted  the  losses  in  subsequent  bat- 
tles. Hood's  line  of  battle  extended  from  Decatur  to  be- 
low East  Point,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles.  General 
Sherman  had  been  re-enforced  by  convalescents  and  some 
new  troops,  so  that  his  preponderance  remained  about  the 
same  as  at  the  commencement  of  the  campaign. 

Sherman  now  resorted  to  a  further  prolongation  of  his 
line  to  the  southward,  with  a  view  to  getting  possession 
of  the  Macon  road.  On  the  1st  of  August,  Schofield 
marched  from  thejeft  to  a  position  below  Utoy  Creek, 
where  he  joined  on  to  Logan's  right,  and  formed  the 
fight  wing  of  the  army.  The  enemy  made  corresponding 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION.  999 

movements.  This  process  of  extending  by  the  right  was 
continued  from  the  2d  to  the  5th,  on  which  day  Cox's 
Division  of  Schofield's  Corps  attacked  the  enemy's  line  a 
mile  below  Utoy,  and  was  repulsed  with  the  loss  of  four 
hundred  men.  On  the  next  day  Schoneld  advanced  his 
whole  line,  in  the  hope  of  gaining  a  foothold  on  either 
the  West  Point  or  Macon  Railroad,  but  did  not  succeed. 

This  movement  convinced  Sherman  that  the  whole  army 
would  require  to  be  moved  to  reach  the  Macon  road.  On 
the  10th  he  shelled  the  city  with  four-and-a-half-inch 
rifled  guns  as  an  experiment.  On  the  16th,  orders  were 
issued  for  a  grand  flank  movement  on  the  18th  to  Fair- 
burn,  on  the  vVest  Point  road,  and  thence  across  to  the 
Macon  road  at  Jonesboro,  twenty-two  miles  south  of 
Atlanta.  This  march  from  Fairburn  to  Jonesboro  would 
traverse  the  base  of  a  triangle,  of  which  the  east  side  is 
the  Macon  road  and  the  west  side  the  West  Point  Rail- 
road, both  of  which  meet  at  East  Point,  whence  they 
follow  a  common  track  six  miles  to  Atlanta.  This 
manoeuvre  would  cut  the  only  two  roads  into  Atlanta. 
The 'necessity  of  moving  the  whole  army  grew  out  of  the 
superiority  of  the  enemy  in  cavalry,  which  was  manifest- 
ed in  the  failure  of  the  Union  cavalry  raids.  At  this 
juncture,  however,  Hood  detached  Wheeler  with  a  cavalry 
force  to  proceed  east  and  north  and  fall  upon  Thomas's 
communications  at  Dalton.  Accordingly,  on  the  14th  of 
August,  Wheeler  appeared  before  Dalton,  demanding 
its  surrender,  which  was  refused.  Some  damage  was 
done  to  the  lines,  but  sufficient  protection  had  been  pro- 
vided to  preserve  them  from  danger. 

Upon  ascertaining  this  movement,  Sherman  supposed 
that  the  detachment  of  Wheeler  would  deplete  the  enemy 
in  cavalry  so  far  as  to  give  the  Union  army  the  prepon- 
derance. Hence  he  suspended  the  general  movement  he  had 
contemplated,  and  ordered  Kilpatrick,  who  had  recently 
returned  to  duty,  to  proceed  with  five  thousand  cavalry  on 
a  raid  against  the  two  railroads.  He  was  partially  suc- 
cessful, and  returned  to  camp  on  the  22d.  The  damage 
he  had  done,  however,  was  nearly  all  repaired  by  that 
time,  and  the  original  grand  movement  became  necessary. 
General  Sherman  therefore  renewed  the  order  for  a  gen- 
eral movement  on  his  right  on  the  night  of  the  25th,  when, 
all  things  being  ready,  the  Fourth  Corps,  Stanley,  drew 


1000  HISTOEY  OF  THE   GKEAT  EEBELLION. 

out  of  its  lines  on  the  extreme  left,  and  marched  to  a 
position  below  Proctor's  Creek.  The  Twentieth  Corps, 
Williams,  moved  back  to  the  Chattahoochee.  During  the 
night  of  the  26th  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  continued 
drawing  out  and  moving  rapidly  by  a  circuit  well  towards 
Sandtown  and  across  Camp  Creek,  the  Army  of  ,the 
Cumberland  below  Utoy  Creek,  Schofield  remaining  in 
position.  The  third  move  brought  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee on  the  West  Point  Railroad,  above  Fairburn,  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland  about  Red  Oak,  while  Schofield 
closed  in  near  Digs  and  Minis.  Twelve  and  one-half 
miles  of  railroad  were  here  destroyed,  the  ties  burned,  <and 
the  iron  rails  twisted.  The  whole  army  moved,  the  29th, 
eastward  by  several  roads  :  Howard  on  the  right,  towards 
Jonesboro ;  Thomas  in  the  centre,  by  Shoal  Creek ; 
Church  to  Couch'sj  on  the  Decatur  and  Fayetteville  road ; 
and  Schofield  on  the  left,  about  Morrow's  Mills. 

The  movement  proceeded  with  signal  success,  and 
Howard,  on  the  evening  of  the  30th,  passed  Flint  River 
and  halted  within  half  a  mile  of  Jonesboro.  Hood  now 
began  to  understand  the  object  of  Sherman's  movement ; 
but  still  ignorant,  apparently,  that  nearly  the  whole 
Union  army  was  moving  upon  his  communications,  he  con- 
tented himself  with  sending  Hardee's  and  Lee's  Corps  to 
Jonesboro,  where  they  intrenched,  while  he  remained  in 
Atlanta  with  Stewart's  Corps  and  the  militia.  On  the 
morning  of  August  31st,  Howard  finding  himself  in  the 
presence  of  a  heavy  force  of  the  enemy,  he  deployed  the 
Fifteenth  Corps  and  disposed  the  Sixteenth  and  Seven- 
teenth on  its  flanks.  The  men  covered  their  front  with 
the  usual  parapet,  and  were  soon  prepared  to  act  offensive- 
ly or  defensively,  as  the  case  called  for.  On  the  morning 
of  the  31st,  Kilpatrick  took  a  strong  position  on  a  hill  in 
front  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  which  the  rebels  had  occu- 
pied with  a  picket  line  and  a  few  skirmishers.  During 
the  forenoon  Kilpatrick  ascertained  that  the  enemy  were 
massing  infantry  and  cavalry  in  his  front  and  on  his  left 
flank.  To  meet  and  check  this  movement,  two  regiments 
of  infantry  were  sent  from  Osterhaus's  command,  First 
Division,  Fifteenth  Corps,  and  three  regiments  of  in- 
fantry from  the  Third  Division,  Seventeenth  Corps,  as 
supports ;  and  at  the  same  time  a  brigade  from  the  Seven- 
teenth Corps  was  ordered  to  take  a  position  in  the  rear  of 


HISTOET   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  1001 

the  Sixteenth  Corps  as  reserves,  in  case  of  an  attack  from 
the  enemy.  During  the  forenoon  our  artillery  kept  up  a 
ceaseless  cannonade  upon  the  rebel  lines  for  the  purpose 
of  provoking  an  assault.  The  enemy's  batteries  respond- 
ed, after  a  few  hours'  silence,  most  vigorously.  At  three 
o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  31st,  S.  D.  Lee's  Corps 
assaulted  the  Fifteenth  Corps  and  a  portion  of  the  Six- 
teenth Corps,  advancing  boldly  up  to  our  works  in  three 
columns,  with  colors  flying.  The  first  line  approached 
within  twenty  or  thirty  yards  of  Hazen's  Second  Division, 
Fifteenth  Corps;  but  the  deadly  fire  from  our  breast- 
works caused  it  to  waver  badly,  and  in  fifteen  minutes  it 
was  broken  and  irrevocably  lost  for  that  moment.  The 
second  line  of  rebels  came  to  the  rescue,  and  with  yells 
dashed  on  to  destruction,  for  they,  too,  were  swept  away 
before  they  reached  the  impenetrable  abatis  and  deadly 
palisades  that  strengthened  our  works  and  rendered  a 
successful  charge  an  utter  impossibility,  unless  attempted 
with  vastly  superior  numbers.  The  officers  endeavored 
to  re-form  their  lines,  with  the  shattered  fragments  of  the 
first  and'  second  lines,  and  a  final  desperate  attempt  was 
made  to  oust  the  Fifteenth  and  Sixteenth  Corps  from  their 
strong  position,  but  the  last  assault  was  the  most  abortive 
of  all,  and  the  most  disastrous. 

The  enemy  lost  several ,  general  officers,  including 
Major-General  Anderson,  mortally  wounded;  Colonel 
"Williams  and  Major  Barton,  killed ;  five  colonels,  majors, 
&c.,  wounded  or  taken  prisoners ;  besides  rank  and  file, 
killed,  wounded,  and  captured.  Our  loss  was  slight,  as  we 
fought  behind  our  works.  The  brunt  of  the  fight  fell  on 
Hazen's  Division,  which  captured  two  flags.' 

While  the  battle  was  in  progress,  orders  were  sent  to 
'push  the  other  movements,  and  the  success  of  Howard  at 
Jonesboro  was  simultaneous  with  the  occupation  of  the 
railroad  below  Bough  and  Keady  by  Schofield,  and  with 
the  occupation  of  the  road  lower  down  by  Stanley.  The 
whole  army  was  then  ordered  to  close  down  upon  Jones- 
boro on  September  1st.  The  Fourteenth  Corps  marched 
along  the  Macon  line,  destroyed  the  track  for  several 
*  miles,  and  about  four  o'clock  took  up  position  on  the  left  of 
the  Fourth  Corps,  which  had  now  formed  in  line  of  battle. 

Orders  having  been  given  for  the  Fourteenth  Corps  to 
attack,  the  First  Division,  Carlin  commanding,  in  ad- 


1002  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

vance,  soon  came  upon  the  enemy's  skirmishers,  who 
>were  driven  inside  their  main  line  of  works.  Carlin's 
Division  formed  the  left  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps,  sup- 
ported by  the  Third  Division,  Baird's,  while  tha  Second 
Division,  J.  D.  Morgan,  also  advanced  across  a  small 
creek,  a  branch  of  Flint  River.  While  this  movement 
was  in  progress,  the  enemy  evidently  divined  our  inten- 
tions, and  opened  some  twenty  guns  on  Morgan's  lines, 
scattering  shells  among  his  men  at  a  terrible  rate.  Mor- 
gan now  ordered  up  the  Fifth  Wisconsin  Battery,  and 
very  soon  quito  an  artillery  duel  was  in  progress,  which 
lasted  nearly  half  an  hour ;  the  firing  being  greatly  aug- 
mented in  its  destructiveness  by  the  guns  of  an  Illinois 
battery,  which  enfiladed  almost  the  entire  length  of  the 
rebel  works.  So  hot  was  the  fire  from  these  two  batteries 
that  in  less  than  thirty  minutes  the  rebel  artillerists,  with 
their  infantry  support,  were  driven  from  their  guns  in 
haste,  but  not  until  a  number  of  the  officers  were  either 
wounded  or  killed.  In  the  mean  time  the  whole  of  the 
Fourteenth  Corps  was  posted  in  strong  positions,.with  the 
Second  Division  op  the  right,  First  Division  on  the  left, 
with  the  left  resting  on  the  Macon  Railroad,  and  the 
Third  Division  in  reserve.  At  half-past  three  o'clock 
p.  M.,  Carlin  attacked  the  enemy's  works,  situated  on  a 
rising  knoll  in  the  edge  of  a  piece  of  dense  woods,  but 
was  repulsed.  Major  Edith,  commanding  a  brigade  of 
regulars,  was  next  ordered  to  attack,  supported  by  Carlin's 
Division.  This  brigade  moved  up  to  the  rebel  works  in 
gallant  style,  eliciting  commendation  from  all;  but  the 
enemy  suddenly  hurled  a  superior  force  of  fresh  troops 
upon  them,  and  they  were  obliged  to  retire  or  be  cap- 
tured. At  four  o'clock  the  entire  Fourteenth  Corps 
attacked  with  great  impetuosity  the  rebel  works  in  two 
lines.  One  brigade  of  the  Third  Division  went  into  the 
fight,  while  the  balance  of  the  division  supported  the 
movement.  Carlin,  with  the  First  Division  and  the  Third 
Brigade  of  the  Second  Division,  struck  the  enemy's  works 
first,  followed  by  Morgan's  troops,  and  with  such  im- 
petuosity was  the  attack  delivered  that  a  portion  of  the 
line  was  carried,  and  two  batteries — one  Loomis's  cele- 
brated battery,  taken  from  us  at  Chickamanga,  of  five 
guns,  and  another  of  four  guns — fell  into  our  hands. 
Among .  the  prisoners  captured  was  Brigadier-General 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1003 

Govan  of  Cleburne's  Division,  with  eight  hundred  and 
eighty  commissioned  and  non-commissioned  officers  and 
privates.  Upon  the  approach  of  night,  Hardes  gathered 
up  the  shattered  remnants  of  his  own  and  Lee's  Corps, 
and  fell  back  seven  miles  to  Lovejoy's,  where  he  in- 
trenched and  awaited  the  arrival  of  Hood,  who,  after  the 
success  of  Sherman's  movement  was  ascertained,  could  no 
longer  hope  to  hold  Atlanta. 

At  the  break  ot  day,  on  September  2d,  Sherman  find- 
ing the  enemy  had  retreated,  put  his  whole  army  in  mo- 
tion and  followed  in  pursuit,  his  object  being  to  get 
between  Hood  and  Hardee,  and  thus  cut  off  either  party. 
Thomas  followed  to  the  left  of  the  railroad,  Howard  on 
its  right,  and  Schofield  kept  off  about  two  miles  to  the 
east.  The  enemy  was  overtaken  again  near  Lovejoy's 
Station,  in  a  strong  intrenched  position,  with  his  flanks 
well  protected  behind  a  branch  of  Walnut  Creek  to  the 
right,  and  a  confluent  to  the  Flint  River  to  his  left.  The 
position  appeared  to  Sherman  too  strong  to  carry  without 
immense  loss,  and  as  the  news  now  reached  him  that 
Hood  had  evacuated  Atlanta  on  the  1st,  he  desisted  from 
further  attack,  and,  on  the  4th,  moved  the  army  by  easy 
marches  back  to  the  neighborhood  of  its  former  camping 
grounds.  The  grand  objective  point  of  the  campaign 
having  been  secured,  he  determined  to  give  the  troops  a 
few  weeks  of  rest.  Hood,  at  Atlanta,  became  aware  of 
the  result  of  the  battle  at  Jonesboro'  early  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  1st  instant,  and  at  once  gave  the  order  for 
evacuating  the  city,  as  his  only  remaining  line  of  railroad 
communication  was  severed,  and  he  was  in  a  precarious 
condition.  Meantime,  Slocum,  with  the  Twentieth  Corps, 
which  had  remained  to  guard  the  bridge  over  the  Chatta- 
hoochee,  seven  miles  distant,  heard  the  explosion  of  ammu- 
nition in  Atlanta,  and  rightly  conceived  the  cause.  He 
gave  orders  for  reconnoissances  on  the  morning  of  the  2d, 
and  at  five  o'clock  the  advance  was  made  by  detachments 
from  "Ward's,  Geary's,  and  William's  Divisions.  They 
advanced  to  the  city,  which  they  found  evacuated,  and 
entered  about  eleven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  2d 
of  September.  They  were  at  once  met  by  a  deputation, 
comprising  the  mayor,  high  sheriff,  and  citizens,  who 
made  a  formal  surrender  of  the  town  to  General  Ward, 
as  follows : — 


1004:  HISTORY  OF   THE   GBEAT   REBELLION. 

"  CAPITULATION  OF  ATLANTA,  GEORGIA,  September  2,  1864. 
"Brigadier-General  WARD,  Third  Division,  Twentieth  Army  Corps: 

"  SIR: — The  fortune  of  war  has  placed  the  city  of  Atlanta  in  your  hands. 
As  Mayor  of  this  city,  I  ask  protection  for  non-combatants  and  private 
property. 

"JAMES  M.  CALHOUN,  Mayor  of  Atlanta." 

The  required  protection  was  freely  granted.  At  the 
same  time  a  detachment  from  Wilder's  Division,  the 
Eleventh  Pennsylvania  and  Sixtieth  New  York,  of  Gen- 
eral Geary's  Division,  which  had  entered  theiown  simul- 
taneously with  "Ward's,  hoisted  the  stars  and  stripes  upon 
the  court-house.  General  Slocuin  arrived  soon  after,  and 
took  formal  possession  of  the  town.  Much  rebel  govern- 
ment property,  including  four  engines,  and  fourteen 
pieces  of  artillery,  chiefly  sixty-four  pounders,  which  the 
enemy  abandoned,  was  secured. 

The  news  of  the  capture  of  Atlanta  caused  universal 
rejoicing,  and  elicited  from  the  President  a  special  con- 
gratulatory order,  and  a  recommendation  that  the  llth 
of  September  should  be  observed  as  a  day  of  solemn 
thanksgiving  for  this  signal  success.  The  following  is 
General  Sherman's  address  to  his  troops  on  the  termina- 
tion of  their  arduous  and  brilliant  campaign  : — 

"  HEAD-QUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OP  MISSISSIPPI,  ) 
"  IN  THE  FIELD,  ATLANTA,  GA.,  September  8,  1864.     ) 

"  SPECIAL  FIELD  ORDERS,  NO.  68. 

"  The  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Armies  of  the  Cumberland,  Ohio,  and 
Tennessee  have  already  received  the  thanks  of  the  nation,  through  its 
President  and  Commander-in-Chief,  and  it  now  remains  only  for  him  who 
has  been  with  you  from  the  beginning,  and  who  intends  to  stay  all  the 
time,  to  thank  the  officers  and  men  for  their  intelligence,  fidelity,  and  cour- 
age displayed  in  the  campaign  of  Atlanta. 

"  On  the  first  of  May,  our  armies  were  lying  in  garrison,  seemingly  quiet, 
from  Knoxville  to  Huntsville,  and  our  enemy  lay  behind  his  rocky-faced 
barrier  at  Dalton,  proud,  defiant,  and  exulting.  He  had  had  time  since 
Christmas  to  recover  from  his  discomfiture  on  the  Mission  Ridge,  with  his 
ranks  filled,  and  a  new  commander-in-chief,  second  to  none  in  the  Confed- 
eracy in  reputation  for  skill,  sagacity,  and  extreme  popularity.  All  at  once 
our  armies  assumed  life  and  action,  and  appeared  before  Dalton ;  threaten- 
ing Rocky  Face,  we  threw  ourselves  upon  Resaca,  and  the  rebel  army  only 
escaped  by  the  rapidity  of  its  retreat,  aided  by  the  numerous  roads  with 
which  he  was  familiar,  and  which  were  strange  to  us.  Again  he  took  po- 
sition in  Allatoona,  but  we  gave  him  no  rest,  and  by  a  circuit  towards  Dal- 
las, and  subsequent  movement  to  Acworth.  we  gamed  the  Allatoona  Pass. 
Then  followed  the  eventful  battles  about  Kenesaw,  and  the  escape  of  the 
enemy  across  Chattahoochee  River. 

"  The  crossing  of  the  Chattahoochee  and  breaking  of  the  Augusta  road 
was  most  handsomely  executed  by  us,  and  will  be  studied  as  an  example  in 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT  REBELLION.  1005 

the  art  of  war.  At  this  stage  of  the  game  our  enemies  became  dissatisfied 
with  their  old  and  skilful  commander,  and  selected  one  more  bold  and 
rash.  New  tactics  were  adopted.  Hood  first  boldly  and  rapidly,  on  the 
20th  of  July,  fell  on  onr  right,  at  Peach-tree  Creek,  and  lost.  Again,  on 
the  22d,  he  struck  our  extreme  left,  and  was  severely  punished;  and  finally, 
again  on  the  28tb,  ho  repeated  the  attempt  on  our  right,  and  that  time 
must  have  been  satisfied;  for  since  that  date  he  has  remained  on  the 'de- 
fensive. We  slowly  and  gradually  drew  our  lines  about  Atlanta,  feeling 
for  the  railroads  which  supplied  the  rebel  army  and  made  Atlanta  a  place 
of  importance.  We  must  concede  to  our  enemy  that  he  met  these  efforts 
patiently  and  skilfully,  but  at  last  he  made  the  mistake  we  had  waited  for 
so  long,  and  sent  his  cavalry  to  our  rear,  far  beyond  the  reach  of  recall. 
Instantly  our  cavalry  was  on  his  only  remaining  road,  and  we  followed 
quickly  with  our  principal  army,  and  Atlanta  fell  into  our  possession  as  the 
fruit  of  well-concerted  measures,  backed  by  a  brave  and  confident  army. 
This  completed  the  grand  task  which  had  been  assigned  us  by  our  Govern- 
ment, and  your  general  again  repeats  his  personal  and  official  thanks  to  all 
the  officers  and  men  composing  this  army,  for  the  indomitable  courage  and 
perseverance  which  alone  could  give  success. 

"  We  have  beaten  our  enemy  on  every  ground  he  has  chosen,  and  have 
wrested  from  him  his  own  Gate  City,  where  were  located  his  founderies, 
arsenals,  and  workshops,  deemed  secure  on  account  of  their  distance  from 
our  base,  and  the  seemingly  impregnable  obstacles  intervening.  Nothing 
is  impossible  to  an  army  like  this,  determined  to  vindicate  a  Government 
which  has  rights  wherever  our  flag  has  once  floated,  and  is  resolved  to 
maintain  them  at  any  and  all  costs. 

"  In  our  campaign  many,  yea,  very  many  of  our  noble  and  gallant  com- 
rades have  preceded  us  to  our  common  destination,  the  grave ;  but  they 
have  left  the  memory  of  deeds  on  which  a  nation  can  build  a  proud  history. 
McPherson,  Harker,  McCook,  and  others  dear  to  us  all,  are  now  the  bind- 
ing links  in  our  minds  that  should  attach  more  closely  together  the  living, 
who  have  to  complete  the  task  which  still  lays  before  us  in  the  dim  future. 
I  ask  all  to  continue,  as  they  have  so  well  begun,  the  cultivation  of  the 
soldierly  virtues  that  have  ennobled  our  own  and  other  countries.  Courage, 
patience,  obedience  to  the  laws  and  constituted  authorities  of  our  Govern- 
ment ;  fidelity  to  our  trusts,  and  good  feeling  among  each  other,  each  try- 
ing to  excel  the  other  in  the  practice  of  those  high  qualities,  and  it  will  then 
require  no  prophet  to  foretell  that  our  country  will  in  time  emerge  from 
this  war,  purified  by  the  fires  of  war,  and  worthy  its  great  founder — Wash- 
ington. 

"W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major- General  Commanding.'" 

Upon  establishing  himself  in  Atlanta,  Sherman  decided 
that  the  exigencies  of  the  service  would  require  the  place 
to  be  held  for  the  present  exclusively  as  a  military  post, 
and  orders  were  at  once  issued  for  the  departure  of  all 
civilians  except  those  in  the  employment  of  the  Govern- 
ment. For  the  purpose  of  expediting  the  depopulation 
of  the  city,  without  needless  inconvenience  or  suffering 
to  the  inhabitants,  the  number  of  whom  had  greatly  di- 
minished during  the  progress  of  the  siege,  he  proposed 
to  Hood  a  truce  of  ten  days.  The  reply  of  Hood  was  as 
follows : — 


1006  HISTOBY   OF  THE  GEEAT  REBELLION. 

"  HEAD-QUAETERS  ARMY  OF  THE  TENNESSEE,  ) 
"OFFICE  CHIEF  OF  STAFF.  Si-pt.  9,  1864.     J 
"  Major-General  SHEBMAN,  Commanding  United  States  Forces  in  Georgia : 

"  GENERAL  : — Your  letter  of  yesterday's  date,  borne  by  James  W.  Ball 
and  James  R.  Crew,  citizens  of  Atlanta,  is  received.  You  say  therein,  '1 
deem  it  to  be  to  the  interest  of  the  United  States  that  the  citizens  now 
residing  in  Atlanta  should  remove,'  &c.  I  do  not  consider  that  I  have  any 
alternative  in  the  matter.  I  therefore  accept  your  proposition  to  declare  a 
truce  of  ten  days,  or  such  time  as  may  be  necessary  to  accomplish  the  pur- 
pose mentioned,  and  shall  render  all  the  assistance  in  my  power  to  expedite 
the  transportation  of  citizens  in  this  direction.  I  suggest  that  a  staff  officer 
be  appointed  by  you  to  superintend  the  removal  from  the  city  to  Rough 
and  Ready,  while  I  appoint  a  like  officer  to  control  their  removal  farther 
south :  that  a  guard  of  one  hundred  men  be  sent  by  either  party,  as  you 
propose,  to  maintain  order  at  that  place,  and  that  the  removal  begin  on 
Monday  next. 

"  And  now,  sir,  permit  mo  to  say,  that  the  unprecedented  measure  you 
propose,  transcends,  in  studied  and  ingenious  cruelty,  all  acts  ever  before 
brought  to  my  attention  in  the  dark  history  of  war. 

"  In  the  name  of  God  and  humanity  I  protest,  believing  that  you  will  find 
that  you  are  expelling  from  their  homes  and  firesides  the  wives  and  chil- 
dren of  a  brave  people. 

"I  am,  General,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  J.  B.  HOOD,  General." 

Accompanying  this  letter  was  the  following  to  James 
M.  Calhoun,  mayor  of  Atlanta  : — 

"  HEAD-QUAETEES  AEMTOF  THE  TENNESSEE,  September  9,  1864. 
"  Hon.  JAMES  M.  CALHOUN,  Mayor : 

"SiR: — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter 
touching  the  removal  of  the  citizens  of  Atlanta,  as  ordered  by  General 
Sherman.  Please  find  enclosed  my  reply  to  General  Sherman's  letter.  I 
shall  do  all  in  my  power  to  mitigate  the  terrible  hardship  and  misery  that 
must  be  brought  upon  your  people  by  this  extraordinary  order  of  the 
Federal  commander.  Transportation  will  be  sent  to  Rough  and  Ready  to 
carry  the  people  and  their  effects  farther  south. 

.     "  You  have  my  deepest  sympathy  in  tliis  unlooked-for  and  unprecedented 
afBiction. 

"  I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"J.  B.  HOOD,  General." 

The  following  is  the  characteristic  reply  of  General 
Sherman : — 

"  HEAD-QUAETEES  MILITAEY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI,  ) 
"AND  IN  THE  FIELD,  ATLANTA,  GA.,  September  10,  18G4.  ) 
"  General  J.  B.  HOOD,  commanding  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  Confederate 

Army: 

" GENERAL: — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter 
of  this  date,  at  the  hands  of  Messrs.  Ball  and  Crew,  consenting  to  the  ar- 
rangements I  had  proposed,  to  facilitate  the  removal  south,of  the  people  of 
Atlanta,  who  prefer  to  go  in  that  direction.  I  enclose  you  a  copy  of  my 
orders,  which  will,  I  am  satisfied,  accomplish  my  purpose  perfectly.  You 
style  the  measure  proposed  '  unprecedented.'  and  appeal  to  the  dark  history 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT  REBELLION.  1007 

of  war  for  a  parallel  as  an  act  of  '  studied  and  ingenious  cruelty.'  It  is  not 
unprecedented,  for  General  Johnston  himself  very  wisely  and  properly  re- 
moved the  families  all  the  way  from  Dalton  down,  and  I  see  no  reason  why 
Atlanta  should  be  excepted.  Nor  Is  it  necessary  to  appeal  to  the  dark  his- 
tory of  war,  when  recent  and  modern  examples  are  so  handy.  You  your- 
self burned  dwelling-houses  along  your  parapet,  and  I  have  seen  to-day 
fifty  houses  that  you  have  rendered  uninhabitable  because  they  stood  in 
the  way  of  your  forts  and  men.  You  defended  Atlanta  on  a  line  so  close 
to  the  town  that  every  cannon-shot  and  many  musket-shots  from  our  line 
of  investments  that  overshot  their  mark,  went  into  the  habitations  of  women 
and  children.  General  Hardee  did  the  same  at  Jonesboro',  and  General 
Johnston  did  the  same  last  summer  at  Jackson,  Miss.  I  have  not  accused 
you  of  heartless  cruelty,  but  merely  instance  these  cases  of  very  recent 
occurrence,  and  could  go  on  and  enumerate  hundreds  of  others,  and  chal- 
lenge any  fair  man  to  judge  which  of  us  has  the  heart  of  pity  for  the  fami- 
lies of  '  a  brave  people.'  I  say  it  is  a  kindness  to  these  families  of  Atlanta 
to  remove  them  now  at  once  from  scenes  that  women  and  children  should 
not  be  exposed  to ;  and  the  brave  people  should  scorn  to  commit  their 
wives  and  children  to  the  rude  barbarians  who  thus,  as  you  say,  violate  the 
laws  of  war,  as  illustrated  in  the  pages  of  its  dark  history.  In  the  name 
of  common  sense,  I  ask  you  not  to  appeal  to  a  just  God  in  such  a  sacrile- 
gious manner — you,  who,  in  the  midst  of  peace  and  prosperity,  have  plunged 
a  nation  into  civil  war,  'dark  and  cruel  war;'  who  dared  and  badgered  us 
to  battle,  insulted  our  flag,  seized  our  arsenals  and  forts  that  were  left  in 
the  honorable  custody  of  a  peaceful  ordnance  sergeant ;  seized  and  made 
prisoners  of  war  the  very  garrisons  sent  to  protect  your  people  against 
negroes  and  Indians,  long  before  any  overt  act  was  committed  by  the  (to 
you)  hateful  Lincoln  Government ;  tried  to  force  Kentucky  and  Missouri 
into  the  rebellion  in  spite  of  themselves;  falsified  the  vote  of  Louisiana, 
turned  loose  your  privateers  to  plunder  unarmed  ships,  expelled  Union 
families  by  the  thousand,  burned  their  houses,  and  declared  by  act  of  your 
Congress  the  confiscation  of  all  debts  due  Northern  men  for  goods  had  and 
received.  Talk  thus  to  the  marines,  but  not  to  me,  who  have  seen  these 
things,  and  who  will  this  day  make  as  much  sacrifice  for  the  peace  and 
honor  of  the  South  as  the  best-born  Southerner  among  you.  If  we  must  be 
enemies,  let  us  be  men,  and  fight  it  out,  as  we  propose  to-day,  and  not  deal 
in  such  hypocritical  appeals  to  God  and  humanity.  God  will  judge  us  in 
due  time,  and  He  will  pronounce  whether  it  be  more  humane  to  fight  with 
a  town  full  of  women  and  the  families  of  a  '  brave  people  '  at  our  back,  or 
to  remove  them  in  time  to  places  of  safety  among  their  own  friends  and 
people. 

"  I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)  "W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major- General  Commanding. 

"  Official  copy:   Signed,  L.  M.  DAYTON,  A.  D.  C." 

The  campaign  of  Sherman  against  Atlanta  had  a  re- 
sult different  from  that  of  Rosecrans  against  Chattanooga. 
But  the  relative  conditions  of  the  two  armies  were  also 
entirely  different.  Bragg  had  been  promptly  re-enforced, 
and  when  Rosecrans  threatened  to  flank  his  position  at 
Chattanooga,  he  retired  with  his  whole  army  concen- 
trated. Subsequently,  when  joined  by  Longstreet,  he 
was  much  stronger  than  Rosecrans,  who  had  not  been 


1008  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 

supplied  with  either  men  or  material  in  proportion  to 
his  wants.  He  was  therefore  exposed  to  the  blows  of  a 
superior  enemy,  and  his  defeat  was  only  rendered  nuga- 
tory through  the  inaction  of  Bragg.  Sherman  had  the 
benefit  of  the  recent  conscription,  made  with  much  vigor 
by  the  Government,  and  under  the  orders  of  the  Lieuten- 
ant-General,  of  whose  combination  his  movement  was  a 
part.  Johnston's  army  fell  back  before  the  weight  of 
numbers,  until  Hood,  succeeding  to  the  command,  wasted 
his  men  in  fruitless  attacks,  and  then,  from  his  weakened 
force,  detached  Wheeler  to  the  North,  where  he  was  of 
no  use  whatever.  Sherman  was  thus  enabled  to  leave 
the  Twentieth  Corps  before  Atlanta,  and  move  the  re- 
mainder of  his  army,  still  superior  to  that  of  Hood,  round 
to  Jonesboro.  Here  he  did  not  meet,  as  did  Rosecrans 
at  Chickamauga,  the  entire  force  of  a  superior  army,  but 
a  portion  of  a  divided  inferior  army,  to  which  he  deliver- 
ed the  final  blow. 

The  campaign  of  Sherman  commenced  in  the  first  week 
of'  May,  simultaneously  with  that  of  Grant.  His  force 
was,  as  we  have  seen,  in  round  numbers,  one  hundred 
thousand  men  and  two  hundred  and  fifty-four  guns.  The 
system  of  Johnston  was  the  same  as  that  of  Lee  ;  with  an 
inferior  force  he  resisted  the  advance  of  his  enemy  at  every 
point.  Sherman  reached  the  Chattahoochee  on  the  28th 
July.  The  country  through  which  he  marched  was  much 
more  open  than  the  scene  of  war  in  Virginia.  Of  this, 
and  his  great  superiority  in  infantry  and  artillery,  Sher- 
man most  skilfully  availed  himself.  He  did  not  make  a 
flank  march  of  his  whole  force,  nor  extend  one  end  of  his 
line  round  Johnston's  wing,  as  ordinary  precedent  would 
have  bade ;  but,  holding  his  enemy  in  check  with  a  part 
of  his  army,  detached  one  or  two  of  his  corps  by  a  dis- 
tant line  to  seize  and  intrench  themselves  on  some  point 
which  should  threaten  the  Confederate  communications. 
Not  all  Johnston's  energy  nor  the  exertions  of  Wheeler 
(whose  cavalry  outnumbered  that  of  the  invaders)  could 
prevent  this  manoeuvre  being  repeated  again  and  again. 
The  Federal  generals  carried  out  faithfully  their  com- 
mander's orders  to  keep  to  the  use  of  field-works  and  guns 
wherever  practicable;  and  Johnston  continually  found 
himself  with  separate  armies  established  in  front  and 
flank,  and  was  thus  forced  to  a  new  retreat.  As  Sherman 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1009 

advanced  the  railroad  was  completely  repaired,  and  its 
use  for  the  future  systematically  secured.  Intrencliments 
were  thrown  up  at  every  station  or  bridge,  and  a  small 
garrison  left  with  provisions,  ammunition,  and  the  means 
of  repairing  any  sudden  damage  to  the  adjacent  parts  of 
the  line,  while  .almost  equal  care  was  used  to  cover  the 
trains  which  supplied  the  flanks.  Such  an  elaborate  sys- 
tem involved  much  delay;  and  Johnston  was  enabled 
to  detain  the  Federals  seventy  days  on  £heir  approach 
to  Atlanta. 

The  advance  was  none  the  less  unbroken ;  and  when 
Sherman  was  preparing  elaborately  for  his  passage  of  the 
Chattahoochee,  he  was  relieved  of  great  part  of  his  diffi- 
culties by  the  removal  of  the  formidable  opponent  whose 
personal  ability  he  fully  appreciated.  Jefferson  Davis, 
who  had  since  the  days  of  Vicksburg  been  on  but  indif- 
ferent terms  with  Johnston,  had  yielded  to  the  clamor 
raised  against  the  latter  for  so  repeatedly  giving  ground, 
and  now  superseded  him  in  favor  of  Hood,  known  hither- 
to as  a  gallant  soldier  and  bold  general  of  division,  but  in 
no  way  marked  for  the  higher  qualities  of  command.  This 
step,  so  fatal  to  the  Confederate  interests  in  that  quarter, 
was  the  more  inexcusable,  in  that  Johnston's  policy  of 
retreating  when  liable  to  be  thoroughly  outflanked  was 
just  what  Lee  had  used  in  Virginia,  without  a  word  of 
blame  from  any  quarter. 

62 


1010  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION. 


CHAPTER    LXII.  *K 

The  Gulf  Department. — Sabine  Pass  Expedition. — McPherson  moves  from 
Vicksburg. — Expedition  to  the  Rio  Grande,  and  Occupation  of  Browns- 
ville.— Banks'  a  Red  River  Expedition. — Capture  of  Fort  De  Russey. — 
Occupation  of  Alexandria. — Battle  of  Mansfield. — Retreat  of  the  Army. — 
Repulse  of  the  Enemy  at  Pleasant  Hill. — Operations  of  the  Fleet. — The 
Dam  at  Alexandria. — Arrival  of  the  Army  and  Fleet  in  the  Mississippi. — 
Co-operative  Movement  of  Steele  in  Arkansas. — Causes  of  its  Failure. 

THE  Department  of  the  Gulf  remained  for  some  time 
quiet  after  the  fall  of  Vicksburg  and  Port  Hudson,  in  the 
summer  of  1863,  which  events  left  the  Mississippi  River 
nominally  in  the  hands  of  the  Federal  troops.  General 
Banks  returned  to  New  Orleans,  and  the  large  army  with 
which  General  Grant  operated  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg 
was  dispersed  to  various  points.  The  Thirteenth  and 
Eighteenth  Corps,  under  Generals  Herron  and  Ord,  went 
to  New  Orleans;  Ransom's  command  occupied  Natchez; 
the  force  which  Burnside  sent  out  to  aid  Grant  mainly 
returned  to  him,  and  other  smaller  bodies  were  located  at 
various  points  engaged  in  keeping  down  guerrillas.  The 
Mississippi  being  now  in  possession  of  the  Union  forces,  it 
was  divided  into  districts,  each  under  command  of  a  divi- 
sion officer,  with  orders  to  prevent  the  passage  of  the 
enemy's  troops  across  the  river. 

Early  in  September,  1863,  the  troops  that  had  concen- 
trated at  New  Orleans  were  formed  into  an  expedition  of 
four  thousand  men,  under  Major-General  Franklin,  to  ef- 
fect a  landing  at  Sabine  Pass  for  military  occupation,  with 
the  co-operation  of  the  navy.  Commodore  Bell  assigned 
the  command  of  the  naval  force  to  Lieutenant  Crocker, 
commanding  the  steamer  Clifton,  accompanied  by  the 
steamers  Sachem,  Arizona,  and  Granite  City.  The  de- 
fences at  the  Pass,  it  was  estimated,  consisted  of  two 
thirty-two-pounders  en  barbette,  and  a  battery  of  field- 
pieces,  and  two  bay  boats  converted  into  rams.  It  was 
concerted  with  General  Franklin  that  the  squadron  of 
four  gunboats  should  make  the  attack  alone,  assisted  by 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1011 

about  one  hundred  and  eighty  sharpshooters  from  the 
army,  divided  among  his  vessels ;  and  after  driving  the 
enemy  from  his  defences  and  destroying  or  driving  off 
the  rams,  the  transports  were  to  advance  and  land  their 
troops.  The  attack  was  made  on  the  8th  of  September, 
at  six  A.  M.,  when  the  Clifton  stood  in  the  bay  and  opened 
fire  on  the  fort,  to  which  no  reply  was  made.  At  nine 
A.  M.,  the  Sachem,  Arizona,  and  Granite  City,  followed 
by  the  transports,  stood  over  the  bar,  and  with  much  dif- 
ficulty (owing  to  the  shallowness  of  the  water)  reached 
anchorage  two  miles  from  the  fort  at  eleven  A.  M.,  the  gun- 
boats covering  the  transports. 

At  three-thirty  P.  M.,  the  Sachem,  followed  by  the  Ari- 
zona, advanced  up  the  eastern  channel  to  draw  the  fire 
of  the  forts,  while  the  Clifton  advanced  up  the  western 
channel ;  the  Granite  City  to  cover  the  landing  of  a  divi- 
sion of  troops  under  General  Weitzel ;  no  reply  to  the  fire 
of  the  gunboats  being  made  until  they  were  abreast  of  the 
forts,  when  they  opened  with  eight  guns,  three  of  which 
were  rifled.  Almost  at  the  same  moment  the  Clifton  and 
Sachem  were  struck  in  their  boilers,  enveloping  the  ves- 
sels in  steam.  There  not  being  room  to  pass  the  Sachem, 
the  Arizona  was  backed  down  the  channel.  Soon  after, 
the  latter  grounded  by  the  stern  ;  the  ebb  tide  caught  her 
bows  and  swung  her  across  the  channel ;  she  was,  with 
much  difficulty,  extricated  from  this  position — owing  to 
the  engine  becoming  heated  by  the  collection  of  mud  in 
the  boilers.  The  flags  of  the  Clifton  and  Sachem  were 
now  run  down,  and  white  flags  were  flying  at  the  fore. 
As  all  the  transports  were  now  moving  out  of  the  bay, 
the  Arizona  remained  covering  their  movements,  until  she 

f rounded  and  remained  until  midnight,  when  she  was 
edged  off,  as  no  assistance  could  be  had  from  any  of  the 
tugs  of  the  expedition.  The  expedition  therefore  returned 
to  Brashear  City.  General  Franklin  held  his  head-quar- 
ters at  New  Iberia,  which  was  made  the  base  of  opera- 
tions, being  at  the  head  of  navigation  for  ordinary  steam- 
ers and  fifty -two  miles  from  Brashear  City.  The  Nine- 
teenth Army  Corps,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Gen- 
eral "Weitzel,  had  crossed  and  camped  at  Bewick.  The 
Thirteenth  Army  Corps  followed,  leaving  sufficient  force 
to  hold  the  base  at  Brashear. 

General  McPherson,  with  the  Seventeenth  Corps,  re- 


1012  HIBTOKY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

mained  at  Vicksburg,  and  nothing  of  general  interest  oc- 
curred until  early  in  October,  when  a  rebel  force,  consist- 
ing of  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  mounted  men, 
appeared  on  the  east  side  of  the  Black  River,  at  times  ap- 
proaching quite  near  the  Federal  lines,  and  keeping  up  a 
continued  series  of  feints  and  demonstrations  along  our 
front.  McPherson  came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  had 
been  thrown  forward  as  a  curtain  to  hide  movements  and 
operations  going  on  farther  back  in  the  country.  He 
therefore  organized  a  force  composed  of  Logan's  and  Tut- 
tle's  Divisions,  with  other  detached  portions  of  the  Seven- 
teenth Corps,  which,  leaving  Vicksburg  early  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  14th  October,  marched  sixteen  miles  and  ren- 
dezvoused at  Big  Black  River,  where  it  encamped  for  the 
night.  By  daylight  on  the  15th  the  cavalry  advance 
crossed  the  river  at  Messenger's  Ferry,  closely  followed 
by  Logan,  with  Tuttle  bringing  up  the  rear,  the  crossing 
being  effected  on  a  double  truss  bridge  built  by  Sherman 
during  his  Jackson  campaign.  At  three  P.  M.  they  reach- 
ed Brownsville,  the  place  having  been  occupied  by  our 
advance  cavalry  at  noon,  and  on  the  following  day  the  ad- 
vance of  Logan's  Division  met  a  portion  of  Wirt  Adams's 
rebel  cavalry,  supported  by  a  battery  of  artillery,  well 
posted  in  a  piece  of  timber  to  the  right  of  the  road. 
McPherson  immediately  sent  forward  a  portion  of  Logan's 
Division,  consisting  of  Maltby's  Brigade  and  two  pieces 
of  artillery,  to  dislodge  them,  our  cavalry  having  dis- 
mounted and  advanced  through  the  woods,  deployed  as 
skirmishers.  No  sooner  did  our  battery  open  than  they 
were  replied  to  by  the  rebel  artillery  with  excellent 
ellect. 

While  this  was  going  on  the  remainder  of  Logan's  Di- 
vision advanced  by  the  Canton  road,  where  they  met  an- 
other portion  of  the  enemy,  consisting  of  Whitfield's  Bri- 
gade of  cavalry  and  artillery,  composed  principally  of 
Texans,  occupying  a  strong  position  on  the  crest  of  a  hill 
completely  commanding  the  road.  The  artillery  was  sent 
forward,  and  amused  them  until  Ford's  Brigade  came  up, 
and  formed  in  line  of  battle  on  either  side  of  the  road, 
with  two  regiments  in  advance  deployed  as  skirmishers ; 
darkness  coming  on,  the  men  rested  in  their  positions. 
Shortly  after  daylight  the  enemy  again  opened  on  us  with 
artillery,  having  been  re-enforced  during  the  night.  The 


HISTOEY  OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1013 

force  then  returned  to  Vicksburg,  where  they  arrived  on 
the  20th. 

There  was  little  activity  at  New  Orleans  after  the  fail- 
ure of  the  Sabine  Pass  expedition.  The  expiration  of  the 
term  of  the  nine-months  men  produced  some  changes,  and 
until  new  troops  arrived  but  little  was  done.  There  was, 
however,  an  immense  contraband  trade  between  the  South- 
ern States  and  Mexico.  The  sealing  up  of  Charleston  and 
the  stricter  watch  at  Wilmington — before  the  two  chief 
inlets  of  trade — caused  Matamoras  to  become  the  great 
entrepot  of  contraband  commerce.  Not  less  than  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  blockade-runners  were  sometimes  there  at 
one  time.  General  Banks  devised  an  expedition  to  break 
up  this  trade.  The  enemy  had  then  only  a  few  troops 
under  Magruder  scattered  between  Galveston  and  Sabine 
Pass.  The  expedition  was  fitted  out  at  New  Orleans,  un- 
der the  command  of  Major-General  Dana,  General  Banks 
and  staff  accompanying  it.  After  a  stormy  passage,  the 
troops  were  on  the  4th  of  November  safely  transferred 
from  the  transports,  and  landed  on  the  Texan  shore  of  the 
Bio  Grande.  Upon  seeing  our  troops  landing,  the  enemy 
destroyed  the  Government  works  at  Fort  Brown,  and  the 
town  of  Brownsville  was  set  on  fire  by  their  cavalry.  The 
Union  men  in  the  town  resisted  them,  and  a  bloody  street 
fight  ensued  between  the  two  factions,  while  the  houses 
were  burning  around  them.  The  Fifteenth.  Maine  regi- 
ment was  ordered  up  to  Brownsville  to  support  the  Union- 
ists, and  the  rebels  were  routed.  The  place  was  then 
occupied  by  the  Federal  troops.  Subsequently  Corpus 
Christi  and  the  coast  of  Texas  to  within  one  hundred  miles 
of  Galveston  were  occupied. 

But  little  else  was  done  in  this  department  until  the 
commencement  of  1864,  when  a  new  expedition  was  or- 
ganized by  General  Banks,  having  for  its  object  the  pos- 
session of  Western  Louisiana  and  the  capture  of  cotton. 
The  enemy  at  this  time  had  various  forces  in  the  field. 
General  Dick  Taylor  commanded  in  Louisiana,  with  about 
twenty  thousand  men;  Magruder  in  Texas;  and  Price 
resumed  the  command  in  Arkansas.  It  was  proposed  by 
Banks  to  ascend  the  Ked  River  to  Shreveport,  aided  by 
the  fleet  of  Admiral  Porter,  while  a  force  under  General 
Steele  should  descend  from  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  to  form 
a  junction  with  the  troops  on  the  Red  River.  At  the 


1014  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

same  time  a  demonstration  was  to  be  made  by  the  Fed- 
eral force  from  Brownsville,  on  the  Rio  Grande. 

The  expedition  embarked  at  Vicksburg  on  the  10th  of 
March,  and  proceeded  down  the  Mississippi  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Red  River,  which  it  ascended  as  far  as  the  Old 
River,  at  which  point  it  turned  into  the  Atchafalaya, 
which  flows  southward  into  Lake  Chetimaches.  On  the 
13th  a  landing  was  effected  at  Simmsport,  whence  our 
forces  marched  to  Bayou  Glace,  where  a  rebel  force,  es- 
timated at  about  two  thousand,  had  been  encamped  in  a 
strongly  fortified  position.  On  reaching  this  point  it  was 
found  deserted  by  the  enemy,  who  had  set  fire  to  the 
bridge  leading  across  the  river  at  that  point.  The  earth- 
works, still  incomplete,  were  laid  out  on  an  extensive 
plan,  and  indicated  an  intention  on  the  part  of  the  rebels 
to  use  the  Atchafalaya  as  their  principal  line  of  defence, 
depending  on  the  shallowness  of  the  river  during  most  of 
the  year  to  protect  them  against  the  attack  of  our  gun- 
boats. The  unexpected  appearance  of  our  formidable 
fleet,  consisting  of  three  monitors,  seven  iron-clads,  three 
rams,  and  four  lighter  gunboats,  caused  them  to  abandon 
the  strong  but  unfinished  works,  and  to  hasten  to  the  de- 
fence of  Fort  De  Russey. 

Fort  De  Russey  was  a  formidable  quadrangular  work, 
with  bastions  and  bomb-proofs,  covered  with  railroad 
/iron.  Connected  with  the  fort  was  a  strong  water-bat- 
tery, the  casemates  of  which  appeared  to  be  capable  of 
resisting  the  heaviest  shot  and  shell.  The  guns  were 
admirably  placed  to  command  the  river  for  a  considerable 
distance  up  and  down.  General  Dick  Taylor  occupied  it 
with  a  large  force.  General  Franklin*  landed  from 

*  William  Buell  Franklin  was  born  in  York,  Penn.,  in  1823,  and  gradu- 
ated at  West  Point  in  1843,  first  in  his  'class.  He  was  appointed  to  the 
Topographical  Engineers,  served  in  the  Mexican  war  as  aide  to  General 
Taylor,  was  assistant  professor  of  natural  and  experimental  philosophy  at 
"West  Point,  1848-52,  and  until  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  was  actively 
employed  by  the  Government  in  military  engineering,  the  coast  survey, 
the  inspection  of  light-houses,  the  construction  of  public  buildings,  aud 
similar  duties.  In  May,  1861,  he  was  commissioned  colonel  of  the  Twelfth 
Eegiment  of  regular  infantry,  and  soon  after  brigadier-general  of  volun- 
teers. He  commanded  a  brigade  at  Bull  Eun,  was  subsequently  appointed 
to  a  division  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  in  the  Peninsular  campaign 
commanded  the  Sixth  Provisional  Army  Corps,  with  the  rank  of  major- 
general.  He  participated  with  credit  in  the  seven  days'  fighting  before 
Richmond,  defeated  the  enemy  at  Crampton's  Gap,  in  South  Mountain,  and 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1015 

transports  early  in  March,  a  few  miles  below  this  fort,  to 
co-operate  with  the  gunboats  in  an  attack  upon  it.  Tay- 
lor determined  to  attack  him  before  the  rest  of  the  Union 
force  should  come  up,  and  marched  out  of  his  works  for 
that  purpose.  But  he  committed  the  fatal  mistake  of 
attacking  his  foe  in  the  rear.  Franklin,  quick  to  avail 
himself  of  his  enemy's  blunder,  abandoned  his  communi- 
cations, refused  battle,  and  marched  straight  for  the  now 
vacant  fort.  Taylor  saw  his  error  too  late  to  retrieve  it, 
and  hastened  after  his  antagonist  in  vain.  The  Union 
army  entered  the  fort,  three  hours  in  advance  of  the 
rebels,  unopposed,  capturing,  without  a  battle,  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  prisoners,  ten  guns,  a  lot  of  small- 
arms,  and  large  stores  of  ammunition.  Thus,  by  a  mili- 
tary blunder,  the  rebels  lost  the  entire  advantage  of  their 
year's  engineering  labor.  The  fleet  passed  up  the  river 
without  opposition,  and  occupied  Alexandria  on  the  15th 
of  March,  the  army  entering  it  the  day  following.  The 
rebel  army  fell  back  farther  up  the  river,  and  was  soon 
increased  by  timely  re-enforcements.  Magruder  joined 
it  with  two  thousand  five  hundred  Texans,  and  Price 
with  seven  thousand  infantry  from  Missouri  and  Arkan- 
sas. The  entire  force  was  commanded  by  General  Kirby 
Smith.  ';7 

Alexandria,  which  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
above  Fort  De  Russey,  having  surrendered,  the  army  was 
pushed  forward,  overland,  against  Shreveport,  where  the 
rebels,  under  command  of  General  Taylor,  were  concen- 
trating. Several  rebel  gunboats,  which  had  been  sta- 
tioned at  Alexandria,  had  steamed  up  the  river  to  assist 
in  the  defence  of  the  former  place.  Shreveport  is  near 
the  southwest  boundary  of  Louisiana,  and  as  the  enemy 
inferred  that  it  was  the  objective  of  Banks's  campaign, 
strong  fortifications  had  been  erected,  formidable  obstruc- 

s^stained  the  advance  of  the  Onion  right  wing  at  the  succeeding  battle  of 
Antietam.  In  November,  1862,  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the  left 
grand  division  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  in  the  succeeding  January 
was  relieved  from  duty.  In  the  summer  of  1863  he  assumed  command 
of  the  Nineteenth  Corps,  and  subsequently  took  part  in  the  Sabine  Pass 
expedition,  and  in  the  Red  River  expedition  of  1864.  After  the  termina- 
tion of  the  latter  he  was  relieved  of  his  command,  and  returned  to  the- 
North.  On  July  llth,  while  travelling  in  a  railroad  train  between  Phila- 
delphia and  Baltimore,  he  was  captured  by  a  rebel  cavalry  force,  but  a  day 
or  two  afterwards  effected  his  escape.  He  subsequently  officiated  as. 
President  of  the  Military  Retiring  Board. 


1016  niSTOEY   OF  THE  GEEAT   EEBELLION. 

tions  placed  in  the  river,  and  provision  sufficient  for  a 
six  months'  siege  accumulated.  After  a  delay  of  ten 
days  at  Alexandria,  in  order  to  concentrate  his  forces  and 
organize  further  movements,  Banks  resumed  his  march. 
About  thirty  miles  above  Alexandria  the  Federal  advance 
met  the  rebels  strongly  posted  at  Cane  River.  Their 
force  was  considerable,  and  their  position  advantageous ; 
but  after  a  short  engagement  with  artillery  and  skir- 
mishers, a  general  charge  was  ordered,  and  the  rebels 
beat  a  hasty  retreat,  with  the  loss  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  killed  and  wounded,  and  five  hundred  to  six  hundred 
prisoners.  This  was  on  the  28th  of  March.  The  Union 
army  pressed  rapidly  forward.  The  rebels  as  rapidly  re- 
treated. Grand  Ecore  was  passed.  Natchitoches,  capi- 
tal of  the  parish  of  that  name,  was  occupied  without 
opposition ;  and  on  the  6th  of  April  the  army  continued 
its  advance  towards  Shreveport.  At  Grand  Ecore  the 
road  leaves  the  river-bank,  and,  passing  through  Nat- 
chitoches,  four  miles  from  Grand  Ecore,  enters  heavy 
pine  woods.  A  single  road  conducts  through  this  un- 
cleared forest,  aifording  excellent  opportunities  for  am- 
buscade. 

The  Union  army  no  longer  enjoyed  the  formidable 
protection  of  the  gunboats.  The  cavalry,  five  thousand 
strong,  constituted  the  advance,  commanded  by  General 
Lee.  They  were  followed  by  their  wagon  train.  Several 
miles  in  the  rear  was  the  nearest  infantry  force.  This 
was  the  Thirteenth  Ajmy  Corps.  The  Nineteenth  was 
still  farther  in  the  rear.  On  the  7th  the  cavalry  found 
its  progress  somewhat  resisted  by  the  increased  strength 
of  the  enemy's  skirmishers  in  front.  The  enemy  had 
skilfully  drawn  on  General  Banks,  who,  with  false  confi- 
dence, advanced  with  cavalry  and  artillery,  without  ade- 
quate infantry  support,  some  eight  miles.  On  the  8th 
of  April  he  sent  word  to  hurry  forward  the  infantry,  and 
General  Ransom,  with  two  divisions,  was  directed  to  go 
his  assistance.  Nothing  like  a  general  engagement  was 
expected  or  prepared  for.  Ransom,  indeed,  urged  await- 
ing the  arrival  of  the  rest  of  the  army,  but  he  was  over- 
ruled. 

An  order  to  charge  upon  the  enemy  was  given,  and  the 
issue  proved  the  greatness  of  the  mistake.  The  enemy, 
under  cover  of  the  trees,  had  formed  an  ambuscade  in 


HISTORY  OP  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  1017 

the  shape  of  an  enormous  Y.  The  devoted  soldiers, 
entering  the  open  wedge  at  its  base,  charged  upon  the 
apex.  The  wings  then  closed  upon  them.  They  were 
mowed  down  by  a  terrific  fire  botli  from  front  and  either 
flank.  The  cavalry  was  thrown  into  disorder,  and  began 
to  retreat  down  the  road  filled  with  infantry.  The 
wounded  and  dying  were  trodden  under  the  horses'  feet. 
The  infantry,  surprised  by  the  murderous  fire  from  a 
concealed  foe,  were  thrown  into  confusion  by  the  retreat- 
ing cavalry,  who  cantered  in  disorder  through  their  lines. 
An  attempt  was  made  to  withdraw  and  meet  re-enforce- 
ments from  the  Nineteenth  Corps,  farther  back ;  but  the 
single  narrow  road  was  effectually  blockaded  by  the 
cavalry  wagon-train.  An  orderly  retreat  was  impossible. 
Soon  all  was  in  the  utmost  confusion.  "  Let  every  man 
take  care  of  himself!"  became  the  universal  cry.  Ran- 
som made  the  most  heroic  efforts  to  rally  his  men,  but  in 
vain. 

The  wagon  train  was  abandoned  to  the  enemy,  and 
twenty  guns  fell  into  the  rebels'  hands.  Among  these 
captures  was  the  Chicago  Mercantile  Battery.  The  army 
was  saved  from  demolition  by  the  timely  arrival  of  re- 
enforcements  from  the  Nineteenth  Corps  and  the  dark- 
ness of  approaching  night.  This  engagement  is  known 
by  the  name  of  the  Battle  of  Mansfield.  Banks's  loss 
was  estimated  at  two  thousand  out  of  eight  thousand 
men  on  the  field.  He  was  largely  outnumbered  by  the 
enemy.  The  army  retreated  during  the  night,  and  at 
dawn  of  the  9th  succeeded  in  gaining  Pleasant  Hill, 
where  it  was  concentrated.  General  A.  J.  Smith,  with 
the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps,  held  the  right ;  Franklin, 
with  the  Nineteenth  Corps,  held  the  left.  The  Thirteenth 
Corps,  exhausted  and  almost  destroyed  by  the  previous 
day's  fighting,  was  unable  to  participate  in  the  antici- 
pated battle. 

At  four  P.  M.  in  the  afternoon  of  the  9th,  the  enemy 
arriveM  in  pursuit,  and  immediately  advanced  in  over- 
whelming numbers  against  the  division  of  General 
Emory  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps,  which,  after  an  obstinate 
resistance,  retreated  slowly  up  a  hill,  on  the  slopes  of 
which  it  had  been  formed.  Behind  the  crest  of  this  hill 
the  Sixteenth  Corps  lay  in  reserve,  and  as  the  rebels 
rushed  on  with  every  expectation  of  an  easy  victory, 


1018  HISTORY   OF   THE  GREAT   REBELLION. 

they  were  met  by  a  withering  fire  of  artillery  and  mus- 
ketry, from  which  they  recoiled  in  confusion.  At  this 
moment  the  Sixteenth  Corps  charged  with  fixed  bayonets, 
driving  the  enemy  in  utter  rout  into  the  neighboring 
woods,  and  recapturing  eight  of  the  guns  lost  on  the  pre- 
vious day,  besides  five  hundred  prisoners.  Early  on  the 
10th,  Banks,  leaving  his  dead  unburied,  continued  his 
retreat  to  Grand  Ecore.  By  this  timely  victory  the 
enemy  suffered  severely,  and  were  compelled  to  abate 
somewhat  the  ardor  of  their  pursuit. 

Meantime  the  fleet  under  Porter,*  comprising  the 
Cricket,  Eastport,  Mound  City,  Chillicothe,  Carondelet, 
Pittsburg,  Ozark,  Neosho,  Osage,  Lexington,  Fort  Hind- 
man,  and  Louisville,  and  a  fleet  of  thirty  transports, 
ascended  the  river  to  Grand  Ecore.  On  the  7th  of  April, 
the  river  rising  very  slowly,  the  admiral  sent  up  the 
Cricket,  Fort  Hindman,  Lexington,  Osage,  Neosho,  and 
Chillicothe,  with  the  hope  of  getting  the"  rest  of  the 
vessels  along  when  the  usual  rise  came.  Twenty  trans- 
ports were  sent  along  filled  with  army  stores,  and  with  a 
portion  of  General  A.  J.  Smith's  Division  on  board.  It 
was  intended*  that  the  fleet  should  reach  Springfield 
Landing  on  the  third  day,  and  then  communicate  with 
the  army,  a  portion  of  which  expected  to  be  at  Spring- 
field at  that  time. 

At  Springfield,  serious  obstacles  were  encountered  in 
the  river ;  but  before  they  could  be  removed,  news  came 
to  Porter  that  Banks  was  defeated,  and  the  army  falling 
back  to  Pleasant  Hill,  sixty  miles  in  the  rear  of  the  fleet. 
The  prompt  return  of  the  fleet  was  imperative,  as  the 

*  David  D.  Porter  was  born  in  Philadelphia  about  1815.  He  is  the 
youngest  son  of  Commodore  David  Porter,  distinguished  as  a  naval  officer 
in  the  last  war  with  England,  and  was  appointed  a  midshipman  in  1829. 
In  1861  he  was  promoted  to  be  a  commander,  and  put  in  command  of  the 
steam  sloop  Powhattan,  one  of  the  Gulf  Blockading  Squadron.  In  the 
spring  of  1862  he  received  qommand  of  the  mortar  flotilla^  which  po-oper- 
ated  in  the  reduction  of  the  forts  on  the  Lower  Mississippi  and  the  capture 
of  Xew  Orleans.  He  subsequently  repaired  with  his  fleet  to  the  James 
River,  and  in  October,  1862,  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Mississippi 
gunboat  flotilla,  which  he  retained  for  two  years,  participating  in  the  most 
important  operation  occurring  during  that  interval  on  the  Western  waters. 
In  October,  1864,  having  been  previously  promoted  to  be  a  full  rear-admiral, 
he  was  appointed  to  command  the  North  Atlantic  Squadron,  in  which 
capacity  he  conducted  the  two  memorable  bombardments  of  Fort  Fisher, 
N.  C.,  in  December,  1864,  and  January,  1865. 


HISTORY   OP   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1019 

high  banks  of  the  river  swarmed  with  enemies,  who. 
could  not  be  reached  by  the  guns  of  the  fleet.  On  the 
12th,  a  portion  of  the  enemy  who  had  defeated  Banks 
opened  fire  from  the  right  bank  on  the  Osage,  Lieutenant- 
Commander  F.  O.  Selfridge  (iron-clad),  she  being  hard 
aground  at  the  time,  with  a  transport  (the  Black  Hawk) 
alongside  of  her,  towing  her  off.  The  rebels  opened 
with  two  thousand  muskets,  and  soon  drove  every  one 
out  of  the  Black  Hawk  to  the  safe  casemates  of  the 
monitor.  Lieutenant  Bache  had  just  come  from  'his 
vessel  (the  Lexington)  and  fortunately  was  enabled  to 
pull  up  to  her  again,  keeping  close  under  the  bank,  while 
the  Osage  opened  a  destructive  fire  on  the  enemy,  whose 
efforts  were  vain  against  an  iron  vessel.  Meantime,  some 
troops  were  sent  up  from  Grand  Ecore  to  clear  the  river 
from  guerrillas.  The  river  now  began  to  fall  rapidly, 
and  above  the  bar  at  Alexandria  the  fleet  was  caught  by 
the  low  water,  and  for  a  time  considerably  imperilled.  It 
was  rescued  from  this  position  by  a  series  of  dams  across 
the  rocks  at  the  falls,  wThich  raised  the  water  high  enough 
to  let  the  vessels  pass  over.  These  were  designed  and 
superintended  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Bailey,  acting  en- 
gineer of  the  Nineteenth  Army  Corps. 

The  work  was  commenced  on  May  1st  by  running  out 
from  the  left  bank  of  the  river  a  tree  dam,  made  of  the 
bodies  of  very  large  trees,  brush,  brick,  and  stone,  cross- 
tied  with  other  heavy  timber,  and  strengthened  in  every 
way  which  ingenuity  could  devise.  This  was  run  out 
about  three  hundred  feet  into  the  river*;  four  large  coal- 
barges  were  then  filled  with  brick  and  sunk  at  the  end  of 
it.  From  the  right  bank  of  the  river  cribs  filled  with 
stone  were  built  out  to  meet  the  barges.  All  of  which 
was  successfully  accomplished,  notwithstanding  there  was 
a  current  running  of  nine  miles  an  hour,  which  threatened 
to  sweep  every  thing  before  it.  The  dam  had  nearly 
reached  completion  in  eight  days'  working  time,  and  the 
water  had  risen  sufficiently  on  the  upper  falls  to  allow 
the  Fort  Hindman,  Osage,  and  Nedsho  to  get  down  and 
be  ready  to  pass  the  dam.  Unfortunately,  on  the  morning 
of  the  9th,  the  pressure  of  water  became  so  great  that 
it  swept  away  two  of  the  stone  barges,  which  swung  in 
below  the  dam  on  one  side. 

The  Lexington,  however,  succeeded  in  getting  over  the 


1020  HISTORY  OF  THE   GBEAT  REBELLION. 

upper  falls  just  in  time — the  water  rapidly  falling  as  she 
was  passing  over.  She  then  steered  directly  for  the  open- 
ing in  the  dam,  through  which  the  water  was  rushing  so 
furiously  that  it  seemed  as  if  nothing  but  destruction 
awaited  her.  Thousands  of  beating  hearts  looked  on 
anxious  for  the  result.  The  silence  was  so  great  as  the 
Lexington  approached  the  dam  that  a  pin  might  almost 
be  heard  to  fall.  She  entered  the  gap  with  a  full  head  of 
steam  on,  pitched  down  the  roaring  torrent,  made  two  or 
three  spasmodic  rolls,  hung  for  a  moment  on  the  rocks 
below,  was  then  swept  into  deep  water  by  the  current, 
and  rounded  to  safely  into  the  bank.  Thirty  thousand 
voices  rose  in  one  deafening  cheer,  and  universal  joy 
seemed  to  pervade  the  face  of  every  man  present.  The 
Neoshb  followed  next,  all  her  hatches  battened  down,  and 
every  precaution  taken  against  accident.  She  did  not  fare 
so  well  as  the  Lexington,  her  -pilot  having  become  fright- 
ened as  he  approached  the  abyss,  and  stopped  her  engine ; 
the  result  was  that  for  a  moment  her  hull  disappeared 
from  sight  under  the  water.  Every  one  thought  she  was 
lost.  She  rose,  however,  swept  along  over  the  rocks  with 
the  current,  and  fortunately  escaped  with  only  one  hole 
in  her  bottom,  which  was  stopped  in  the  course  of  an  hour. 
The  Hindman  and  Osage  both  came  through  beautifully, 
without  touching  a  thing. 

The  damage  done  the  dam  was  repaired,  aud  the  whole 
fleet  brought  off.  On  the  14th  of  May,  the  army  re- 
treated from  Alexandria  under  protection  of  the  gun- 
boats, and  the  city  was  consumed  by  fire.  On  the  16th, 
the  enemy,  who  escorted  the  army  a  long  way,  and  har- 
assed its  rear,  attacked  in  force  at  Avovelles  Prairie,  but, 
after  a  severe  fight,  were  driven  off.  On  the  18th,  under 
Polignac,  they  attacked  again  at  Yellow  Bayou,  but  were 
repulsed  with  a  loss  of  three  hundred  prisoners,  besides  as 
many  killed  and  wounded.  This  final  check  was  admin- 
istered by  General  Mower,  under  the  command  of  Gen- 
eral A.  J.  Smith.  Yellow  Bayou  unites  with  the  Bayou 
de  la  Glaise,  and  empties  into  the  Atchafalaya  a  short 
distance  above  Semmesport.  On  the  19th,  the  army 
reached  and  pontooned  the  Atchafalaya.  On  the  20th, 
it  crossed  at  Semmesport,  and  moved  towards  the  Missis- 
sippi. The  next  evening  it  reached  Morganzia. 

"  "le  these  operations  were  going  on  upon  the  Red 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1021 

River,  a  strong  auxiliary  expedition,  under  General  Steele, 
had  set  out  from  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  with  the  design 
of  uniting  with  Banks's  column  at  Shreveport.  On  ap- 
proaching Camden,  the  enemy  were  encountered  behind  a 
series  of  breastworks  to  dispute  the  passage  of  Tate's 
Ferry.  General  Steele,  however,  moved  his  column  for- 
ward, as  if  designing  to  strike  directly  for  Washington, 
and  leave  Camden  on  his  left.  Arriving  within  ten 
miles  of  the  Ferry,  still  keeping  the  military  road,  he 
continued  a  small  body  of  troops  on  that  road,  while  a 
detachment  of  cavalry  was  hastened  forward  to  seize  and 
secure  Elkin's  Ferry,  and  headed  the  main  column  to  the 
southward,  breaking  off  almost  at  right  angles  with  the 
former  course. 

This  detachment  encountered  Marmaduke  and  Shelby 
in  force,  and  the  latter  attacked  the  rear  of  the  army, 
under  Brigadier-General  Rice,  who  repulsed  him.  On 
the  3d  of  April  both  banks  of  the  Little  Missouri  were  in 
our  possession,  and  the  army  crossed  at  Elkin's  Ferry, 
McLean's  Brigade  in  advance.  On  the  4th,  Marmaduke 
and  Cabell,  with  between  four  and  five  thousand  men, 
made  an  attack  upon  our  column,  but  were  repulsed  after 
some  further  skirmishes.  Steele's  army  entered  Camden 
on  the  15th  of  April.  The  enemy,  largely  re-enforced  by 
Kirby  Smith,*  now  began  to  swarm  upon  Steele,  and  on 
the  18th  a  Union  forage  train  was  captured.  On  the 
20th  a  supply  train  arrived  from  Pine  Bluff,  and  on  the 
22d  the  empty  train  was  sent  back,  escorted  by  a  brigade 

*  Edmund  Kirby  Smith  was  born  in  Florida,  of  Connecticut  parentage, 
about  1824,  and  graduated  at  "West  Point  in  1845.  He  was  brevetted  first 
lieutenant  and  captain  for  gallantry  in  the  Mexican  war,  was  subsequently 
assistant  professor  of  mathematics  at  West  Point,  and  saw  active  service  in 
the  Indian  Wars  in  the  West.  He  resigned  his  commission  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  rebellion,  and  was  commissioned  a  colonel  in  the  rebel 
army.  He  was  wounded  at  Bull  Run,  where  his  timely  arrival  turned  the 
scale  against  the  national  troops,  and  soon  afterwards  was  appointed  a 
brigadier-general.  In  February,  1862,  he  was  promoted  to  be  a  major- 
general,  and  sent  to  take  command  in  East  Tennessee.  He  participated  in 
Bragg's  invasion  of  Kentucky  in  the  same  year,  fought  at  Murfreesboro, 
and  early  in  1863  was  appointed  to  command  the  Department  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  which  he  retained  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  conducted 
the  military  operations  in  Louisiana  in  the  campaigns  of  1863  and  1864, 
and  had  the  credit  of  defeating  Banks's  costly  and  nufortunate  Red  River 
Expedition.  He  was  the  last  of  the  rebel  generals  holding  important  com- 
mands to  surrender  to  the  United  States  authorities.  At  that  time  he  held 
the  rank  of  lieutenant-general 


1022  HISTOKY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

of  infantry,  four  pieces  of  artillery,  and  a  proper  propor- 
tion of  cavalry.  On  the  25th  news  was  received  that  the 
train  had  been  captured,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Drake, 
of  the  Thirty-sixth  Iowa,  who  was  in  command,  mortally 
wounded.  The  loss  was  nearly  two  thousand  prisoners, 
four  guns,  and  two  hundred  and  forty  wagons. 

The  defeat  of  Banks  enabled  the  enemy  to  strongly  re- 
enforce  Kirby  Smith.  Information  reached  Steele  that  Kir- 
by  Smith  in  person,  with  eight  thousand  re-enforcements, 
had  made  a  junction  with  Price,  and  that  the  combined 
armies  were  advancing  to  attack  him.  Hence,  retreat 
was  imperative.  He,  therefore,  moved  for  Little  Rock, 
his  retreat  being  greatly  harassed  by  the  enemy,  and  his 
main  column  compelled  to  destroy  trains  and  bridges. 
On  the  30th  of  April,  while  crossing  the  Saline  River,  he 
was  attacked  by  a  body  of  the  enemy  under  General 
Fagan ;  but  the  assault  was  repulsed.  A  portion  of  the 
enemy's  cavalry,  however,  crossed  the  river  above,  and 
hurried  on  towards  Little  Rock,  hoping  to  take  it  by 
surprise  while  the  Union  forces  were  at  a  distance ;  the 
movement  was,  however,  unsuccessful. 


HISTOET   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1023 


CHAPTER  LXIII. 

"War  in  Missouri. — Execution  of  Guerrillas. — Marmaduke's  Movements. — 
Helena.— Successful  Campaign  of  General  Steele  in  Arkansas. — Capture 
of  Little  Rock. — General  Gautt. — Sacking  of  Lawrence  by  Quantrell. — 
Price's  Last  Invasion  of  Missouri. — His  Disastrous  Defeat  and  Retreat 
into  Arkansas. 

AFTER  the  withdrawal  of  General  Halleck  from  com- 
mand in  Missouri  in  1862,  many  operations  of  minor 
character  took  place,  and  the  State  was  greatly  disturbed 
by  guerrillas  under  Quantrell,  Poindexter,  Porter,  Cobb, 
and  other  partisan  leaders,  aided  by  more  regular  organ- 
izations. In  September,  1862,  the  States  of  Missouri, 
Kansas,  and  Arkansas  were  erected  into  a  military  dis- 
trict, under  the  command  of  General  Curtis,  and  General 
Schofield*  assumed  the  command  of  the  "Army  of  the 
Frontier  "  in  Southern  Missouri.  In  September  a  party 
of  guerrillas  under  Colonel  Porter  made  a  raid  upon  Pal- 
myra, and  captured  among  other  persons  an  old  and  re- 
spected citizen  named  Andrew  Allsman,  who  had  been  of 

*  John  McADister  Schofield  was  born  in  Chatauqua  County,  New  York, 
in  1831,  and  graduated  at  West  Point  in  1853.  He  served  for  five  years  as 
instructor  in  natural  philosophy  at  West  Point,  and  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
rebellion  was  filling  the  chair  of  moral  philosophy  at  Washington  Uni- 
versity, St.  Louis.  He  was  employed  in  organizing  troops  in  the  West  in 
the  early  part  of  1861,  was  subsequently  General  Lyon's  chief  of  staff,  and 
in  November,  1861,  was  commissioned  a  brigadier-general  of  volunteers. 
In  June,  1862,  he  was  appointed  to  the  military  district  of  Missouri,  and  a 
few  months  later  received  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Frontier,  with 
which  he  drove  the  rebel  invading  force  under  Hindman  into  Arkansas. 
He  retained  this  command  until  the  early  part  of  1864,  when  he  was  sent  to 
East  Tennessee  to  relieve  General  Foster.  As  commander  of  the  Twenty- 
third  Corps,  constituting  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  he  participated  in  Sher- 
man's campaign  from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta,  after  which  he  was  dis- 
patched to  Tennessee,  under  the  orders  of  Thomas,  to  oppose  the  invasion 
of  Hood.  He  checked  the  advance  of  the  latter  at  the  hard-fought  battle 
of  Franklin,  November  30th,  1864,  and  in  the  succeeding  month  partici- 
pated in  the  series  of  brilliant  victories  in  front  of  Nashville.  Early  in 
1865  he  accompanied  his  corps  to  North  Carolina,  and  co-operated  with 
Sherman  in  the  final  overthrow  of  Johnston.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
received  command  of  the  Department  of  North  Carolina. 


1021  HISTORY   OF  THE  GREAT   REBELLION. 

great  service  to  scouting  parties  sent  out  to  arrest  disloyal 
persons.  As  lie  was  not  again  heard  of,  the  belief  gained 
ground  that  he  had  been  murdered,  particularly  as  the 
iraerrillas  had  been  recently  guilty  of  several  similar  acts. 
Accordingly,  General  McNeil  gave  public  notice  that,' 
unless  Allsman  should  be  surrendered  within  a  given 
time,  ten  rebel  prisoners  should  be  shot.  The  ten  days 
having  elapsed  without  tidings  of  Allsman,  ten  pris- 
oners were  shot,  in  literal  conformity  with  McNeil's 
notice. 

Early  in  1863,  the  rebel  General  Marmaduke,  with  a 
force  of  six  thousand  men,  proceeded  down  the  Arkansas 
River  to  Spadry's  Bluff,  near  Clarkesville,  Arkansas,  and 
thence  marched  rapidly  *iorth  towards  Springfield,  Mis- 
souri, with  the  intention  of  seizing  the  large  amount 
of  Federal  commissary  stores  accumulated  there.  The 
design  of  Marmaduke  in  proceeding  so  far  eastward  be- 
fore making  a  movement  northward  into  Missouri  was  to 
avoid  all  chance  of  collision  or  interference  with  his  plans 
by  Generals  Blunt  and  Herron.  He  hoped  to  reach 
Springfield  and  accomplish  his  purpose  before  they  could 
obtain  intelligence  of  his  approach,  and  this  once  accom- 
plished, these  generals  and  their  army,  deprived  of  all 
supplies,  would,  almost  of  necessity,  be  compelled  either  to 
surrender  to  General  Hindman  or  fly  from  Northwestern 
Arkansas. 

As  Marmaduke  approached  Springfield,  Generals  Brown 
and  Holland,  who  were  in  command  there,  collected  a 
force  of  about  twelve  hundred  men,  sent  the  stores  north 
towards  Bolivar,  and  succeeded  in  repulsing  the  enemy, 
who  retreated  with  the  loss  of  forty-one  killed  and  one 
hundred  and  sixty  wounded.  Meantime,  General  Porter, 
who  had  been  detached  by  Marmaduke  with  three  thou- 
sand men  to  capture  Hartsville,  reached  that  point  on  the 
9th  of  January,  1863,  and  moved  towards  Marshfield. 
General  Fitz-Henry  Warren,  in  command  of  that  Federal 
military  district,  sent  from  Houston,  on  the  9th  of  Janu- 
ary, Colonel  Merrill,  with  eight  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
to  Springfield,  to  re-enforce  the  Federal  garrison  there. 
They  reached  Hartsville  on  Saturday,  the  10th,  and 
learned  that  Porter  had  been  there  the  day  previous. 
Leaving  Hartsville  at  3  p.  M.,  they  marched  to  Wood's 
Forks,  on  the  road  towards  Springfield,  by  nightfall,  and 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1025 

encamped  in  line  of  battle.  The  next  morning,  (January 
llth),  at  daybreak,  they  encountered  Marmaduke's  forces 
marching  from  Springfield,  and  inflicted  a  defeat  upon 
him.  Marmaduke,  however,  formed  a  junction  with 
Porter,  and  marched  for  Hartsville.  Colonel  Merrill 
reached  the  place  in  time  to  put  himself  in  defence.  The 
Confederate  attack  was  repulsed,  and  the  rebels  fell  back 
upon  Houston,  and  thence  to  Little  Rock,  where  Marma- 
duke remained  some  two  months.  On  the  17th  of  April, 
the  Confederate  General  Cabell  left  Ozark,  Arkansas,  with 
a  force  of  two  thousand  men,  to  attack  Fayetteville, 
Arkansas,  then  garrisoned  by  two  regiments  of  Federal 
troops  (the  First  Arkansas  Infantry  and  the  First  Arkan- 
sas Cavalry),  under  the  command  of  Colonel  M.  La  Rue 
Harrison.  The  attack  was  made  on  the  18th  about  sun- 
rise, and  resulted  in  the  retreat  of  the  enemy  upon 
Ozark. 

In  April,  General  Price,  in  connection  with  Marma- 
duke, collected  a  force,  mostly  Texans,  with  the  view  of 
capturing.  General  Grant's  depot  of  stores  at  Cape  Girar- 
deau,  on  the  Mississippi.  This  force,  numbering  ten 
thousand  men,  under  Marmaduke,  left  Little  Rock  about 
the  middle  of  April,  and  on  the  20th  had  crossed  the  State 
line,  and,  following  the  course  of  the  St.  Francis  River, 
reached  Fredericktown,  Missouri,  about  the  22d.  From 
this  point  they  marched  upon  Cape  Girardeau,  and  came 
before  the  town  on  the  25th.  The  garrison  there  was 
under  the  command  of  General  John  McNeil,  and  con- 
sisted of  one  thousand  seven  hundred  men,  mostly  militia. 
McNeil  had  reached  Cape  Girardeau  on  the  night  of  the 
23d,  and  had  taken  immediate  measures  for  the  removal 
of  the  Government  stores  into  Illinois,  and  had  sent  to  St. 
Louis  for  re-enforcements.  The  attack  was  made  April 
26th  and  was  repulsed,  the  enemy  retreating  into  Arkansas 
on  May  2d.  Many  minor  engagements  took  place.  In 
July,  General  Blunt  crossed  the  Arkansas  River,  near 
Henry  Springs,  in  that  Territory,  and  after,  on  the  16th, 
defeating  a  force  of  Confederates  under  General  Cooper, 
descended  the  Arkansas  River,  and  on  the  1st  of  Septem- 
ber occupied  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas.  The  Army  of  the 
Frontier  having  been  greatly  depleted  to  furnish  re- 
enforcements  to  Grant,  while  he  was  engaged  in  the  siege 
of  Yicksburg,  Price  and  Marmaduke  made  an  attempt  on 

63 


1026  HISTORY   OF  THE  GKEAT  REBELLION. 

Helena,  Arkansas,  held  by  General  Prentiss  with  four 
thousand  troops.  The  rebels  were  disastrously  defeated, 
with  the  loss  of  eleven  hundred  prisoners  and  many  killed 
and  wounded. 

After  the  fall  of  Yicksburg,  the  preparations  for  which 
had  drawn  troops  out  of  Arkansas,  General  Steele  was 
sent,  in  August,  to  join  General  Davidson,  who  was 
moving  south  from  Missouri,  at  Helena,  with  orders  to 
drive  the  enemy  south  of  Arkansas  River*  Having 
effected  this  junction  and  established  his  depot  and  hospi- 
tals at  Duvall's  Bluff,  on  the  White  River,  Steele,  on  the 
1st  of  August,  advanced  against  the  Confederate  army, 
which  fell  back  towards  Little  Rock.  After  several  suc- 
cessful skirmishes,  he  reached  the  Arkansas  River,  and 
threw  part  of  his  force  on  the  south  side,  to  threaten 
the  Confederate  communications  with  Arkadelphia,  their 
depot  of  supplies,  and  flank  their  position  at  Little  Rock. 
Marmaduke  was  sent  out  with  a  cavalry  force  to  beat  the 
Federals  back,  but  was  completely  routed.  Seeing  what 
must  be  the  inevitable  result  of  this  movement  of  Steele, 
the  Confederate  General  Holmes  destroyed  what  property 
he  could,  and,  after  a  slight  resistance,  retreated  with  his 
army  in  great  disorder,  pursued  by  the  Federal  cavalry  ; 
and  on  the  10th  of  September,  Steele  entered  the  capital 
of  Arkansas.  His  entire  loss  in  killed,  wounded,  and 
missing,  in  this  whole  movement,  did  not  exceed  one 
hundred.  He  captured  one  thousand  prisoners,  and  such 
public  property  as  the  Confederates  had  not  time  to 
destroy.  The  Federal  cavalry  continued  to  press  the  re- 
treating Confederates  southward ;  but  a  small  force, 
which  had  eluded  pursuit,  and  moved  eastward,  attacked 
the  Federal  garrison  at  Pine  Bluff,  on  the  Arkansas,  south 
of  Little  Rock,  hoping  to  recapture  it,  and  thus  cripple 
the  Federals,  by  breaking  their  communications.  The 
attempt,  which  was  made  on  the  28th  of  October,  was 
repulsed  with  decided  loss  on  the  part  of  the  Confed- 
erates. The  same  day  the  Federal  cavalry  occupied  Ark- 
adelphia, the  Confederates  retreating  towards  the  Red 
River.  This  operation  completely  restored  Arkansas  to 
the  Federal  authority,  except  a  small  district  in  the  ex- 
treme southwest,  and  the  region  of  Northwest  Arkansas, 
over  which  the  guerrilla  and  other  irregular  troops  of  the 
Confederates  continued  to  roam. 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1027 

At  this  time  the  rebel  cause  experienced  the  first  defec- 
tion of  a  prominent  man,  in  the  person  of  the  Hon.  E. 
W.  Gantt,  a  well-known  citizen  of  Arkansas,  who  had 
held  positions  of  influence  in  the  Confederacy,  having 
served  with  their  armies  in  the  field  as  a  general,  and 
been  twice  taken  prisoner  by  our  forces.  He  issued  an 
address  to  the  people  of  his  State,  in  which  he  presented 
with  great  force  the  reasons  for  his  abandonment  of  his 
comrades.  The  chief  of  these  was  the  thorough  convic- 
tion, to  which  he  had  been  brought  by  the  stern  logic  of 
events,  that  the  rebels  were  fairly  beaten,  and  might  as 
well  end  the  contest  at  once.  "  Our  armies,"  he  said, 
"  are  melting,  and  ruin  approaches  us.  The  last  man  is 
in  the  field,  half  our  territory  overrun,  our  cities  gone  to 
wreck — peopled  alone  by  the  aged,  the  lame  and  halt, 
and  women  and  children ;  while  deserted  towns,  and 
smoking  ruins,  and  plantations  abandoned  and  laid  waste, 
meet  us  on  all  sides,  and  anarchy  and  ruin,  disappoint- 
ment and  discontent  lower  over  all  the  land."  He  accord- 
ingly advised  submission,  on  the  ground  that  the  sooner 
the  South  laid  down  their  arms  and  quitted  the  strug- 
gle, the  sooner  would  the  days  of  prosperity  return. 

The  most  atrocious  outrage  of  the  war  up  to  this  time 
was  the  attack  of  the  guerrilla  chief  Quantrell  upon  the 
town  of  Lawrence,  Kansas,  on  August  21st.  The  citi- 
zens, taken  wholly  by  surprise,  were  shot  down  in  the 
streets  in  cold  blood,  and  even  women  were  fired  at. 
Two  hundred  and  five  persons  were  killed  and  many 
wounded.  Numerous  houses  and  churches  were  burned, 
and  property  valued  at  two  million  dollars  was  destroyed. 
A  hastily  organized  force  followed  in  pursuit  of  the 
guerrillas,  and  succeeded  in  killing  about  forty  of  them, 
but  the  greater  part  of  the  band  escaped  with  their 
booty. 

Late  in  September,  the  Confederate  General  Cabell 
collected  a  force  of  some  eight  thousand  men,  crossed  the 
Arkansas  River  east  of  Fort  Smith,  and  on  the  1st  of 
October,  a  detachment  of  his  troops,  under  General 
Shelby,  joined  Coffey  at  Crooked  Prairie,  Missouri,  in- 
tending to  make  a  raid  into  Southwestern  Missouri.  This 
combined  force,  numbering  two  thousand  or  two  thousand 
five  hundred  men,  penetrated  as  far  as  the  Missouri  River, 
at  Booneville,  where  the  Missouri  State  Militia  and  the 


1028  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

Enrolled  Missouri  Militia  met  him,  October  12th,  under 
the  command  of  General  Brown.  Shelby  was  here 
routed,  his  artillery  taken  from  him,  his  forces  scattered. 
After  Brown  gave  up  the  chase,  it  was  taken  up  by  Gen- 
eral Ewing,  the  commanding  general  of  the  Missouri 
border,  who  followed  him  to  the  battle-field  of  Pea 
Ridge,  where  he  abandoned  the  chase,  and  General  John 
McNeil,  commanding  the  District  of  Southwest  Missouri, 
took  it  up  and  ran  him  across  the  Boston  Mountain  in 
Arkansas.  General  Blunt,  commanding  the  District  of 
the  Frontier,  having  been  relieved  by  General  McNeil, 
he  at  once  started  to  assume  the  command  of  Blunt's 
army.  With  these  last  convulsive  throes,  the  active 
existence  of  the  Confederate  authority  in  Arkansas  died 
out.  On  the  12th  of  November,  a  meeting  was  held  at 
.Little  Rock,  to  consult  on  measures  for  the  restoration  of 
the  State  to  the  Union,  and  was  succeeded  by  others  in 
different  parts  of  the  State. 

General  Rosecrans  succeeded  General  Schofield  in  the 
command  in  Missouri.  Early  in  1864,  he  found  it  pru- 
dent to  concentrate  his  forces  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Louis, 
and  the  country  south  of  the  Maramec  River  was  a  prey 
to  anarchy.  The  towns  in  that  vicinity  had  suffered 
great  injury,  and  some  of  them  been  burnt,  the  crops 
destroyed,  and  the  inhabitants  conscripted  or  driven  from 
their  homes.  Small  guerrilla  forces,  under  Shelby  and 
others,  committed  great  depredations.  In  May,  1864,  a 
company  of  Missouri  cavalry,  escorting  a  train,  were  de- 
feated, and  the  tram  burned  near  Rolla.  Yague  rumors 
and  threats  -of  a  new  invasion  of  Missouri  by  Price  began 
now  to  spread  with  growing  strength,  and  about  the  21st 
of  September  information  was  received  at  head-quarters 
that  Price,  crossing  the  Arkansas  with  two  divisions  of 
cavalry  and  three  batteries  of  artillery,  had  joined  Shelby 
near  Batesville,  sixty  miles  south  of  the  State  line,  to 
invade  Missouri  witn  about  fourteen  thousand  veteran 
mounted  men. 

The  Federal  force  there  consisted  of  six  thousand  five 
hundred  mounted  men  for  field  duty  in  the  department, 
scattered  over  a  country  four  hundred  miles  long  and 
three  hundred  broad,  which,  with  the  partially  organized 
new  infantry  regiments  and  dismounted  men,  constituted 
the  entire  force  to  cover  our  great  depots  at  St.  Louis, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT  EEBELLION.  1029 

Jefferson  City,  St.  Joseph,  Macon,  Springfield,  Holla,  and 
Pilot  Knob,  guard  railroad  bridges  against  invasion,  and 
protect,  as  far  as  possible,  the  lives  and  property  of  citi- 
t  zens  from  the  guerrillas  who  swarmed  over  the  whole 
country  bordering  on  the  Missouri  River. 

After  the  defeat  of  Banks's  expedition,  General  A.  J. 
Smith,  with  the  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  Army  Corps, 
returned  to  Yicksburg,  where  they  were  destined  to  rejoin 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  under  Sherman,  of  which 
force  they  really  constituted  a  part.  Meantime,  however, 
Marmaduke,  with  a  force  of  about  six  thousand  infantry 
and  cavalry  and  three  batteries,  occupied  Lake  Village, 
whence  he  interrupted  the  traffic  of  the  Missouri  River. 
General  Smith  therefore  proceeded  in  quest  of  Marma- 
duke. On  the  5th  of  June,  Smith's  force,  comprising 
General  Mower's  Division  of  the  Sixteenth  Corps  and 
one  brigade  of  the  Seventeenth  Corps,  disembarked  at 
Sunny  Side.  After  a  march  of  thirty  miles  they  encoun- 
tered Marmaduke,  and  defeated  him.  On  the  7th,  Smith's 
forces  re-embarked  for  Memphis. 

No  sooner  had  Price  commenced  his  march  than  Steele 
followed,  re-enforced  by  Mower's  Infantry  and  "Winslow's 
Cavalry,  sent  from  Memphis ;  and  A.  J.  Smith's  troops, 
passing  Cairo  towards  ^Nashville,  at  the  earnest  solicita- 
tions of  the  general  commanding  were  ordered  to  halt 
and  return  to  oppose  Price,  who  was  aiming  for  Jefferson 
City,  the  State  capital.  Crossing  the  "Wmte  River  at 
Salina,  Arkansas,  on  the  14th  of  September,  with  a  force 
estimated  at  eight  or  ten  thousand,  and  several  pieces  of 
artillery,  Price  entered  Missouri  from  the  southeast.  On 
the  23d,  his  advance,  under  Shelby,  occupied  Bloomfield, 
Stoddard  County,  which  place  was  evacuated  by  our 
forces  on  the  night  of  the  21st.  On  Monday,  the  26th 
of  September,  Price  advanced  against  Pilot  Knob,  St. 
Francois  County,  which  had  fortunately  been  occupied 
on  Sunday  by  Ewing,  with  a  brigade  of  the  Sixteenth 
Army  Corps,  General  A.  J.  Smith.  With  this  force, 
strengthened  bv  the  garrisons  of  Pilot  Knob  and  outly- 
ing posts,  Ewmg  was  able  to  repulse  the  rebels,  who, 
without  delay,  undertook  to  carry  the  place  by  assault. 
Our  forces  occupied  a  fort  in  the  neighborhood  of  Iron- 
ton,  which  was  commanded,  however,  by  adjacent  hills. 
Confident  of  their  ability  to  capture  the  place  by  a  direct 


1030  HISTOEY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

assault,  the  enemy  advanced  against  it,  but  were  driven 
back  with  severe  loss  by  a  well-directed  fire  of  artillery 
and  musketry  at  easy  range.  The  fort  was  a  strong  one, 
mounting  four  twenty-four  pounders,  four  thirty-twos, 
and  four  six-pound  Parrotts,  besides  two  six-pound  Par-- 
rotts  mounted  outside ;  but  the  occupation  by  the  enemy 
of  Shepherd  Mountain,  a  hill  commanding  the  place, 
compelled  Ewing  to  evacuate.  After  blowing  up  his 
magazine,  he  fell  back  to  Harrison  Station  on  the  South- 
west Branch  Railroad,  where  he  made  a  stand,  behind 
breastworks  left  by  a  party  of  militia  who  had  previously 
occupied  the  town.  The  enemy  followed  him  sharply, 
and  cut  the  railroad  on  both  sides  of  him,  severing  com- 
munication both  with  St.  Louis  and  Rolla.  Ewing 
reached  Holla  with  the  main  body  of  his  troops. 

Meantime,  Springfield  having  been  placed  in  a  state  of 
defence,  General  Sanborn  moved  with  all  his  available 
cavalry  to  re-enforce  General  McNeil  at  Rolla  ;  while  the 
infantry  of  Smith,  aided  by  the  militia  and  citizens,  put 
St.  Louis  in  a  state  of  defence,  where  General  Pleasonton 
had  relieved  General  Frank  Blair.  The  militia  were 
placed  by  Kosecrans  under  the  direction  of  Senator  B. 
Gratz  Brown. 

Brown  concentrated  at  Jefferson  City  the  troops  of  the 
Central  District,  and,  re-enforced  by  General  Fisk  with 
all  available  troops  north  of  the  Missouri,  prepared  for 
the  defence  of  the  capital  of  the  State,  the  citizens  of 
which  vied  with  the  military  in  their  enthusiastic  exertions 
to  repel  the  invasion.  The  enemy,  after  awaiting  at 
Rich  wood's  for  a  day  or  two,  and  threatening  St.  Louis, 
started  for  the  State  capital.  McNeil  and  Sanborn,  mov- 
ing with  all  their  available  cavalry,  by  forced  marches 
reached  the  point  of  danger  a  few  miles  in  advance  of 
him,  and,  uniting  with  Fisk  and  Brown,  saved  Jefferson 
City.  Price  then  retreated  upon  Booneville,  and  Pleas- 
onton, having  assumed  command  at  Jefferson  City,  sent 
a  mounted  force,  under  Sanborn,  in  pursuit.  This  force, 
on  the  19th  of  October,  united  with  the  brigade  of  Wins- 
low,  which  had  been  dispatched  by  General  Mower  to 
follow  the  enemy  from  Arkansas.  The  united  force, 
now  six  thousand  five  hundred  strong,  under  Pleasonton, 
pursued  the  enemy  to  Independence,  where  the  rebel 
rear-guard  was  overtaken  and  routed.  Curtis,  who  held 


HISTOBY   OF  THE   GKEAT   KEBELLION.  1031 

"Westport,  was  driven  out  by  Shelby,  who  in  his  turn  was 
defeated  by  Pleasonton.  The  retreat  and  pursuit  were 
kept  up  with  vigor,  and,  Curtis  having  united  with  Pleas- 
onton, the  enemy  were  overtaken  at  Little  Osage  Crossing, 
where  two  advanced  brigades,  under  Benteen  and  Phillips, 
charged  two  rebel  divisions,  routed  them,  captured  eight 
pieces  of  artillery,  and  near  one  thousand  prisoners,  in- 
cluding Grenerals  Marmaduke  and  Cabell.  Sanborn's 
Brigade  again  led  in  pursuit,  overtook  the  rebels,  and 
made  two  more  brilliant  charges,  driving  every  thing 
before  them  across  the  Marmiton,  whence  the  enemy 
fled,  under  cover  of  night,  towards  the  Arkansas.  After 
thus  marching  two  hundred  and  four  miles  in  six  days, 
and  beating  the1  enemy,  his  flying  columns  were  pursued 
towards  the  Arkansas  by  the  Kansas  troops  and  Benteen's 
Brigade,  while  Sanborn,  following,  marched  one  hundred 
and  four  miles  in  thirty-six  hours,  and  on  the  28th  reached 
Newtonia,  where  the  enemy  made  his  last  stand,  in  time 
to  turn  the  tide  of  battle,  which  was  going  against  Gen- 
eral Blunt,  again  routing  the  enemy.  The  gains  claimed 
by  Price  in  this  invasion  were  far  more  than  neutralized 
by  his  losses.  These  amounted  to  ten  pieces  of  artillery, 
a  large  number  of  small-arms,  nearly  all  his  trains  and 
plunder,  and,  besides  his  killed,  wounded,  and  deserters, 
upwards  of  two  thousand  prisoners.  The  total  Union  loss 
was  less  than  a  thousand.  "With  this  abortive  attempt  to 
rival  the  early  successes  of  the  rebellion  in  this  quarter, 
ended  the  rebel  attempts  to  conquer  Missouri.  Price 
retired  with  a  depleted  and  demoralized  army  into  South- 
ern Arkansas,  and  thenceforth  Missouri  enjoyed  a  greater 
degree  of  tranquillity  than  she  had  known  since  the  out- 
break of  the  war. 


1032  HISTORY   OF  THE   GKEAT   REBELLION. 


CHAPTEE  LXIV. 

Mobile. — Its  Defences. — Concentration  of  Troops. — Combined  Operations. — 
Landing  on  Dauphine  Island. — Order  of  Battle. — Tecumseh  blown  up. — 
Tennessee  Attacks. — Desperate  Battle. — Mode  of  Attack. — Fort  Powell 
blown  up. — Fort  Gaines  Surrenders. — Siege  of  Fort  Morgan. — Surrender. 
— Minor  Expeditions. 

As  a  part  of  the  concerted  plan  of  campaign,  an  attack 
upon  Mobile  was  projected  by  Grant,  with  the  object  of 
weakening  Johnston  in  Georgia,  by  inducing  him  to  send 
troops  for  the  defence  of  that  city.  After  the  return  of 
Banks's  army  from  the  Red  River,  and  the  appointment 
of  General  Canby  to  the  command  of  the  West  Mississippi 
Military  Division,  an  expedition  against  Mobile  began  to 
be  organized.  The  land  defences  of  Mobile  consisted  of 
three  lines  of  strong  earthworks,  extending  five  or  six 
miles  to  the  rear  of  the  city.  Along  the  east  coast  of 
Mobile  Bay  were  Pintow's  Battery,  Batteries  Choctaw, 
Cedar  Plain,  Grand  Spell,  and  Light-House  Battery,  each 
of  which  consisted  of  thirty-two-pound  rifle  cannon 
mounted  in  earthworks.  The  land  is,  however,  level 
and  low,  and  presents  no  natural  advantages  for  a  defence. 
Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines,  commanding  the  entrance  to 
Mobile  Bay,  are  the  first  obstacles  that  a  fleet  encounters 
in  attempting  to  enter  from  the  Gulf.  The  former  is 
situated  on  the  southwestern  extremity  of  a  long  spur  of 
land,  that  separates  Bon  Socour  Bay  from  the  Mexican  Gulf, 
and  commanded  the  two  easterly  channels  of  entrance, 
while  the  western  one,  and  Grant's  Pass,  are  immediately 
under  the  guns  of  Fort  Gaines,  a  casern ated  fortification. 
Between  the  forts  and  the  city,  the  channels  were  ob- 
structed by  lines  of  stout  piles  driven  in  the  mud,  and  a 
eloop  loaded  with  stone  was  stationed  immediately  in  the 
centre  of  the  channel  that  runs  through  Dog  River  Bar, 
ready  to  be  sunk  on  the  passage  of  the  forts.  In  the 
Mobile  River,  considerably  above  the  city,  an  iron-clad 
ram,  the  Tennessee,  and  four  wooden  gunboats,  were 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 


1033 


afloat.  The  harbor  of  Mobile  is  generally  shallow,  and 
it  was  customary  for  heavy  shipping  to  anchor  just  inside 
of  Dauphine's  Island,  near  the  entrance  to  the  bay,  and 
some  twenty-eight  miles  from  the  city.  Steamers,  how- 
ever, being  more  easily  managed,  were  admitted  under 
the  guidance  of  skilful  pilots,  and  even  sailing  vessels  of 
six  or  seven  hundred  tons  could  approach  the  city. 
Preparatory  to  an  expedition  for  the  capture  of  Mobile, 
the  Federal  troops  in  Louisiana  were  concentrated  in 
New  Orleans. 


In  July,  the  fleet  of  Admiral  Farragut,  accompanied  by 
a  land  force  under  Generals  Canby  and  Granger,  arrived 
off  Mobile  Bay.  A  consultation  was  held  between  Gen- 


1034:  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  EEBEIXION. 

erals  Granger  and  Canby  with  the  admiral,  on  July  8th, 
when  it  was  determined  that  Fort  Gaines  should  be  first 
invested.  The  fleet  was  to  cover  the  landing  of  a  force 
on  Dauphine's  Island  for  that  purpose,  and  the  4th  of 
August  was,  after  some  unavoidable  delays,  fixed  upon 
as  the  time  for  landing.  Meanwhile,  the  enemy,  under 
General  Page,  were  busy  throwing  troops  and  supplies 
into  Fort  Gaines,  which  was  commanded  by  Colonel  An- 
derson, of  the  Twenty-first  Alabama. 

Early  on  the  4th  01  August,  the  Federal  fleet,  twenty- 
six  sail,  including  two  double  and  one  single  turreted 
monitor  and  an  iron-clad  double-ender,  commenced  closing 
in  their  line  southeast  of  Fort  Morgan,  as  with  a  view  to 
concentrate  their  efforts  on  Fort  Gaines,  having  during  the 
preceding  nights  landed  a  force  of  from  three  to  five 
thousand  men,  under  General  Granger,  on  Dauphine 
Island.  During  the  early  part  of  the  day  they  kept  up 
an  irregular  and  desultory  fire  on  the  fort,  as  if  designing 
to  make  against  that  point  a  combined  attack  by  land  and 
sea. 

The  real  intention  of  the  admiral,  however,  was  to 
effect  the  passage  of  the  forts  with  his  fleet,  and  the  ves- 
sels outside  the  bar  which  were  designed  to  participate  in 
the  engagement  were  all  under  way  by  forty  minutes  past 
five  in  the  morning  of  August  5th,  in  the  following  order, 
two  abreast  and  lashed. together: — 

Brooklyn,  Captain  James  Alden,  with  the  Octorara, 
Lieutenant-Commander  C.  H.  Green,  on  the  port  side ; 
Hartford,  Captain  Percival  Drayton,  with  the  Metacomet,' 
Lieutenant-Commander  J.  E.  Jouett ;  Richmond,  Captain 
T.  A.  Jenkins,  with  the  Port  Royal,  Lieutenant-Comman- 
der B.  Gherardi ;  Lackawanna,  Captain  J.  B.  Marchand, 
with  the  Seminole,  Commander  E.  Donaldson ;  Monon- 

Eahela,  Commander  J.  H.  Strong,  with  the  Kennebec, 
ieutenant-Commander  "W.  P.  McCann ;  Ossipee,  Com- 
mander W.  E.  Le  Roy,  with  the  Itasca,  Lieutenant-Com- 
mander George  Brown ;  Oneida,  Commander  J.  R.  M. 
Mullany,  with  the  Galena,  Lieutenant-Commander  C.  H. 
Wells. 

The  iron-clads  Tecumseh,  Commander  T.  A.  M.  Craven, 
the  Manhattan,  Commander  J.  W.  A.  Nicholson,  the 
"Winnebago,  Commander  T.  H.  Stevens,  and  the  Chicka- 
saw,  Lieutenant-Commander  T.  H.  Perkins,  were  already 


HISTORY   OP   THE   GEEAT   EEBELLION.  1035 

ahead  inside  the  bar,  and  had  been  ordered  to  take  up 
their  positions  on  the  starboard  side  of  the  wooden  ships, 
or  between  them  and  Fort  Morgan,  for  the  double  pur- 
pose of  keeping  down  the  fire  from  the  water-battery 
and  the  parapet  guns  of  the  fort,  as  well  as  to  attack  the 
ram  Tennessee  as  soon  as  the  fort  was  passed. 

The  attacking  fleet  steamed  steadily  up  the  main  ship- 
channel,  the  Tecumseh  firing  the  first  shot  at  forty-seven 
minutes  past  six.  At  six  minutes  past  seven  the  fort 
opened  upon  the  fleet,  and  was  replied  to  by  a  gun  from 
the  Brooklyn,  and,  immediately  after,  the  action  became 
general.  The  guns  of  the  fort  played  with  effect  upon 
the  Brooklyn  and  Hartford,  and  soon  after  the  firing  be- 
came hot.  The  Tecumseh  careened  suddenly,  and  sank, 
destroyed  by  a  torpedo,  nearly  all  hands  being  lost.  The 
Hartford,  flag-ship,  then  took  the  lead,  and  the  fleet, 
pushing  steadily  forward,  and  maintaining  a  constant  fire, 
passed  the  fort  shortly  before  eight  o'clock.  As  the 
Hartford  passed  up  she  was  attacked  by  the  Tennessee, 
but  without  effect.  The  rebel  gunboats  Morgan,  Gaines, 
and  Selma,  which  had  kept  up  an  annoying  fire,  were  then 
attacked.  The  Selma  was  captured  by  the  Metacomet, 
while  the  Morgan  and  Gaines  drew  off  under  the  guns  of 
Fort  Morgan.  The  former  escaped  to  Mobile,  and  the 
latter  was  run  ashore  and  destroyed.  The  Tennessee  then 
stood  down  for  the  flag-ship.  The  monitors  were  imme- 
diately ordered  to  attack  her.  The  Monongahela,  Com- 
mander Strong,  was  the  first  vessel  that  struck  her,  and  in 
doing  so  carried  away  his  own  iron  prow,  together  with 
the  cut-water,  without  apparently  doing  his  adversary 
much  injury.  The  Lackawanna,  Uaptain  Marchand,  was 
the  next  vessel  to  strike  her,  which  she  did  at  full  speed ; 
but  though  her  stern  was  cut  and  crushed  to  the  plank 
ends  for  the  distance  of  three  feet  above  the  water's  edge 
to  five  feet  below,  the  only  perceptible  effect  on  the  ram 
was  to  give  her  a  heavy  lift.  The  Hartford  was  the  third 
vessel  which  struck  her,  but  as  the  Tennessee  quickly 
shifted  her  helm,  the  blow  was  a  glancing  one,  and  as  she 
rasped  along  the  side  of  the  Hartford,  that  vessel  poured 
her  whole  port  broadside  of  nine-inch  solid  shot  within 
ten  feet  of  her  casemate.  The  monitors  worked  slowly, 
but  delivered  their  fife  as  opportunity  offered.  The 
Chickasaw  succeeded  in  getting  under  her  stern,  and  a 


1036  HISTORY   OP  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

fifteen-inch  shot  from  the  Manhattan  broke  through  her 
iron  plating  and  heavy  wooden  backing,  though  the  mis- 
sile itself  did  not  enter  the  vessel. 

The  Hartford  again  bore  down  upon  the  ram  at  full 
speed,  when,  unfortunately,  the  Lackawanna  ran  into  the 
Hartford  just  forward  of  trie  mizzenmast,  cutting  her  down 
to  within  two  feet  of  the  water's  edge.  They  soon  got 
clear  again,  however,  and  again  bore  down  for  the  enemy. 
The  Tennessee  was  now  in  a  desperate  strait.  The  Chicka- 
saw  was  pounding  away  at  her  stern,  the  Osipee  was 
approaching  her  at  full  speed,  and  the  Monongahela, 
Lackawanna,  and  Hartford  were  bearing  down  upon  her, 
determined  upon  her  destruction.  Her  smoke-stack  had 
been  shot  away,  her  steering  chains  were  gone,  compelling 
a  resort  to  her  relieving  tackles,  and  several  of  the  port- 
shutters  were  jammed.  Indeed,  from  the  time  the  Hart- 
ford struck  her  until  her  surrender,  she  never  fired  a  gun. 
As  the  Osipee,  Commander  Leroy,  was  about  to  strike  ner, 
she  hoisted  the  white  flag,  and  that  vessel  immediately 
stopped  her  engine,  though  not  in  time  to  avoid  a  glan- 
cing blow.  During  the  contest  with  the  rebel  gunboats 
and  the  ram  Tennessee,  and  which  terminated  by  her  sur- 
render at  ten  o'clock,  the  fleet  lost  many  more  men  than 
from  the  fire  of  the  batteries  of  Fort  Morgan.  Admiral 
Buchanan,  commanding  the  Tennessee,  was  wounded  in 
the  leg,  two  or  three  of  his  men  were  killed,  and  five  or 
six  wounded.  Commander  Johnston,  formerly  of  the 
United  States  Navy,  came  on  board  the  flag-ship  to  sur- 
render his  sword  and  that  of  Admiral  Buchanan. 

Thus  ended  one  of  the  fiercest  naval  combats  on  record, 
in  which  the  defence  made  by  the  Tennessee  illustrated 
the  power  of  that  class  of  vessels.  After  all  the  terrible 
attacks  to  which  she  was  exposed,  her  hull  was  but  little 
injured.  Her  commander  was  in  charge  of  the  Merrimac 
during  her  famous  attack  upon  the  Federal  fleet  in  Hamp- 
ton Roads.  It  had  been  imagined  that  as  the  ship  channel 
led  so  very  close  to  the  powerful  Fort  Morgan,  no  ships 
would  dare  attempt  the  passage ;  or,  if  the  attempt  were 
made,  none  would  succeed.  But  in  Farragut's  hands  this 
peculiarity  of  the  channel  became  an  advantage  to  the  at- 
tacking, and  a  weakness  to  the  defending  side.  The 
novel  and  ingenious  expedient  of  lashing  his  vessels  toge- 
ther, two  and  two,  showed  how  thoroughly  the  rear-adini- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT  REBELLION.  1037 

ral  had  considered  the  dangers  in  his  way,  and  how  suc- 
cessfully he  met  them.  1st.  If  the  exposed  half  of  his  fleet 
had  been  disabled,  the  other  half  would  still  have  gone  in, 
with  but  little  injury.  2d.  His  battle  line  was  not  liable 
to  disorganization,  by  any  vessel  dropping  out,  and  per- 
haps fouling  another ;  the  Oneida  was  disabled,  but  her 
consort  pulled  her  through,  and  the  Oneida's  men  did  not 
even  leave  their  guns.  3d.  If  any  vessel  had  been  sunk, 
her  consort  would  have  surely  and  quickly  saved  the  crew. 
4th.  His  battle-line  was  shortened  by  half,  and  the  passage 
of  course  robbed  of  half  its  risks  to  the  fleet.  These  were 
the  chief  points  gained  by  Farragut's  admirable  and  novel 
disposition  of  his  force. 

On  the  night  of  the  7th  of  August,  Fort  Powell  having 
surrendered,  the  commander  of  Fort  Gaines,  Colonel  An- 
derson, intimated  a  desire  to  surrender ;  and  for  that 
purpose  went  on  board  the  fleet  and  made  terms.  General 
Page,  having  some  intimation  of  what  was  going  on,  tele- 

f'aphed  repeatedly  to  Anderson  to  hold  on  to  his  post, 
he  fort,  however,  was  surrendered,  and  by  this  means 
the  western  channel  was  now  under  the  control  of  the 
Federal  fleet.  The  -surrender  of  Fort  Morgan  could  not 
after  this  be  long  delayed.  Accordingly,  after  some  days 
spent  in  preparations,  on  August  21st,  General  Granger 
notified  Admiral  Farragut  that  he  would  be  ready  to  open 
the  siege  next  morning  at  daylight.  That  night  the  ad- 
miral with  his  fleet  took  position  in  line  of  battle,  and 
Monday  morning,  the  22d,  at  five  o'clock,  opened  upon 
Morgan  with  thirty  guns  of  various  caliber,  and  sixteen 
eight  and  ten  inch  mortars.  In  a  short  time  three  moni- 
tors and  several  wooden  vessels  opened,  the  former  with 
eleven  and  fifteen  inch  shells,  and  the  latter  with  rifled 
thirty-two  pounders.  The  firing  continued  with  great 
vigor  and  extraordinary  accuracy  until  dark,  when  the 
fleet  withdrew,  and  the  firing  was  continued  only  at  inter- 
vals by  the  shore  batteries.  During  the  shelling  the 
citadel  of  the  fort  took  fire,  and  the  enemy,  after  vain 
efforts  to  extinguish  the  flames,  flooded  the  magazine  and 
threw  a  large  quantity  of  powder  into  the  wells.  ISTo 
sooner  was  this  light  discovered,  than  General  Bailey  or- 
dered all  our  batteries  to  commence  firing,  in  order  to 
prevent  the  extinguishment  of  the  flames. 

At  twenty  minutes  to  seven  o'clock  on  Tuesday  morn- 


1038  HISTORY   OF  THE    GREAT   REBELLION. 

ing,  the  23d,  Captain  Taylor,  bearing  a  white  flag,  and 
accompanied  by  about  forty  men,  carrying  a  small  sail- 
boat, marched  out  at  the  main  sallyport,  facing  Fort 
Gaines,  with  the  intention  of  pushing  off  to  the  flag-ship, 
three  or  four  miles  distant,  with  a  note  from  General  Page, 
proposing  to  surrender  the  fort,  and  asking  what  terms 
would  be  granted.  General  Granger  now  arrived  at  the 
wharf,  in  front  of  Fort  Morgan,  and  the  note  of  General 
Page  was  handed  to  him.  Granger  replied  that  he  would 
communicate  the  contents  of  the  note  to  the  admiral,  and 
when  his  answer  was  received  the  terms  of  surrender 
would  be  dictated.  In  a  short  time  thereafter  Granger 
sent  General  Arnold,  chief  of  artillery,  Captain  Drayton, 
of  the  Hartford,  and  another  officer,  with  a  demand  for 
the  immediate  and  unconditional  surrender  of  Fort  Mor- 
gan, with  its  garrison  and  all  public  property,  to  the  army 
and  navy  of  the  United  States.  With  these  terms  Page 
was  fain  to  comply,  though  he  disgraced  himself  by  de- 
stroying and  injuring  theproperty  surrendered  after  he 
had  accepted  the  terms.  With  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines 
eighty-six  guns  and  fifteen  hundred  men  fell  into  the  pos- 
session of  the  Union  troops,  and  Mobile  was  permanently 
sealed  against  blockade  runners. 

On  the  return  of  the  troops  to  New  Orleans,  after 
leaving  sufficient  garrisons  in  the  Mobile  forts,  a  num- 
ber of  expeditions  were  undertaken  by  General  Canby's 
troops,  of  which  the  most  important  was  one  into  West 
Florida,  under  command  of  General  Asboth,  which 
reached  Marianna  on  the  afternoon  of  the  27th  of  Sep- 
tember, capturing  that  place  after  a  stubborn  resistance 
of  several  hours.  The  result  was  the  capture  of  eighty- 
one  prisoners  of  war  (among  them  a  brigadier-general 
and  a  colonel),  ninety-five  stand  of  arms,  and  large  quan- 
tities of  quartermaster's  and  commissary  stores.  Our 
loss  in  killed  and  wounded  amounted  to  thirty-two,  in- 
cluding General  Asboth  himself,  who  had  his  left  cheek- 
bone broken  and  his  left  arm  fractured  in  two  places. 

An  expedition,  sent  by  General  Dana  from  Rodney, 
Mississippi,  reached  Fayette  on  the  2d  of  October,  en- 
countering no  enemy.  They  captured  some  cattle,  horses, 
mules,  and  several  prisoners.  Another  expedition  sent 
by  General  Dana  attacked  the  enemy  at  Woodville  at 
seven  o'clock  on  October  7th,  capturing  three  guns,  one 


HISTOKT   OF  THE  GEEAT  EEBELLION.  1039 

captain,  one  lieutenant,  fifty-four  enlisted  men,  and  killing 
forty  of  the  enemy. 

A  cavalry  expedition,  under  General  A.  L.  Lee,  reached 
Clinton  October  7th,  at  seven  o'clock,  capturing  forty- 
seven  prisoners,  the  mails,  telegraph  office,  &c.,  and  a 
considerable  quantity  of  stores  and  ammunition.  Among 
the  prisoners  captured  was  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pinckney, 
provost-marshal-general  of  the  district  (installed  in  his 
office  a  few  hours  before  the  arrival  of  our  troops),  one 
captain,  and  two  lieutenants.  From  there  the  expedition 
moved  to  Greensburg,  and,  finding  no  enemy,  destroyed 
a  tannery  and  some  stores,  and  returned  with  a  number 
of  blacks. 


1040  HISTORY  OF  THE  GEEAT  EEBELLION. 


CHAPTER   LXY. 

Expedition  to  Florida. — Occupation  of  Jacksonville. — Advance  of  General 
Seymour. — Battle  of  Olustee,  and  Retreat  of  the  Union  Army. — Demon- 
stration against  Newbern.— -Capture  of  Plymouth. — The  Albemarle. — 
Her  fight  with  Union  Gunboats. — Her  Destruction. — Rebel  Privateers. — 
Combat  between  the  Kearsarge  and  Alabama. — Capture  of  the  Florida 
and  Georgia. 

THE  early  part  of  1864  witnessed  a  series  of  disasters 
to  the  Union  arras  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  which,  though 
involving  the  loss  of  no  essential  points,  and  having  no 
direct  influence  upon  the  issue  of  the  war,  were  yet,  in 
the  aggregate,  so  considerable  as  to  cause  a  wide-spread 
uneasiness.  The  great  aggressive  campaigns  of  Grant  and 
Sherman  had  not  then  commenced,  and  these  temporary 
successes  of  the  rebels,  taken  in  connection  with  the 
practical  failure  of  the  joint  expedition  into  Southern 
Mississippi,  with  the  Fort  Pillow  massacre  and  the  un- 
fortunate termination  of  the  Red  River  expedition,  per- 
plexed and  irritated  the  public  mind,  while  they  infused 
no  little  heart  into  the  rebel  cause. 

In  December,  1863,  in  accordance  with  his  request, 
authority  was  given  to  General  Gillmore,  commanding 
the  Department  of  the  South,  to  undertake  such  opera- 
tions, within  his  department,  as  he  might  deem  best,  on 
consultation  with  Admiral  Dahlgren,  then  in  command 
of  the  South  Atlantic  blockading  squadron.  He  accord- 
ingly intimated  to  the  War  Department  that  in  February, 
1864,  he  proposed  to  occupy  the  west  bank  of  the  St. 
John's  River,  and  establish  small  depots  there,  preparatory 
to  an  advance  at  an  early  day.  Under  date  of  June  13th, 
1864,  the  President  wrote  to  Gillmore  that,  understanding 
that  certain  persons  were  endeavoring  to  construct  a  legal 
government  in  Florida,  which  formed  part  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  South,  and  that  Gillmore  might  possibly  be 
there  in  person,  he  had  dispatched  Mr.  Hay,  one  of  his 
private  secretaries,  to  aid  in  the  proposed  construction. 


HISTORY    OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  104:1 

"  It  is  desirable,"  he  said,  "  for  all  to  co-operate  ;  but  if 
irreconcilable  differences  of  opinion  shall  arise,  you  are 
master.  1  wish  the  thing  done  in  the  most  speedy  way 
possible,  so  that  when  done  it  be  within  the  range  of  the 
late  proclamation  on  the  subject.  The  detail  labor  will 
of  course  have  to  be  done  by  others,  but  I  shall  be  greatly 
obliged  if  you  will  give  it  such  general  supervision  as 
you  can  find  consistent  with  your  more  strictly  military 
duties."  By  the  close  of  January,  Gillmore's  plans  seem 
to  have  been  perfected,  and  in  a  letter  to  General  Halleck, 
the  general-in-chief,  he  stated  that  the  objects  to  be  at 
tained  by  his  proposed  operations  were : — 

1.  To  procure  an  outlet  for  cotton,  lumber,  timber,  &c. 

2.  To  cut  off  one  of  the  enemy's  sources  of  commis- 
sary supplies,  &c. 

3.  To  obtain  recruits  for  any  colored  regiment. 

4.  To  inaugurate  measures  for  the  speedy  restoration 
of  Florida  to  her  allegiance,  in  accordance  with  instruc- 
tions received  from  the  President  by  the  hands  of  Major 
John  II.  Hay,  assistant  adjutant-general. 

Orders  were  issued  by  Gillmore  to  General  Truman 
Seymour,  on  February  5th,  to  proceed  with  a  force  of  six 
thousand  men  t'o  Jacksonville,  and,  after  effecting  a  land- 
ing, to  push  on  to  Baldwin,  twenty  miles  farther,  with 
his  mounted  troops.  The  command  of  Seymour,  con- 
voyed by  the  gunboat  Norwich,  Captain  Merriam, 
ascended  the  St.  John's  River  on  the  Tth,  and  landed  at 
Jacksonville  on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day.  The  ad- 
vance, under  Colonel  Guy  Y.  Henry,  pushed  forward 
into  the  interior  on  the  night  of  the  8th,  passed  by  the 
enemy,  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle  at  Camp  Vinegar, 
seven  miles  from  Jacksonville,  surprised  and  captured  a 
battery  three  miles  in  the  rear  of  the  camp  about  mid- 
night, and  reached  Baldwin  about  sunrise.  At  the  ap- 
proach of  the  Union  troops,  the  enemy  fled,  sunk  the 
steamer  St.  Mary's,  and  burned  two  hundred  and  seventy 
bales  of  cotton,  a  few  miles  above  Jacksonville.  Our 
forces  captured,  without  the  loss  of  a  man,  about  one 
hundred  prisoners,  eight  pieces  of  artillery  in  serviceable 
condition,  and  a  large  amount  of  other  valuable  property. 
On  the  9th,  Gillmore  reached  Baldwin.  At  that  time 
the  enemy  had  no  force  in  East  Florida,  except  the  scat- 
tered fragments  of  General  Finnegan's  command :  we 

64 


1042  HISTOKY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

had  taken  all  his  artillery.  On  the  10th,  a  portion  of  our 
force  was  sent  towards  Sanderson,  and  Gillmore  returned 
to  Jacksonville.  Telegraphic  communication  was  estab- 
lished between  Baldwin  and  Jacksonville  on  the  llth, 
and  Seymour  was  directed  by  Gillmore  not  to  risk  a  re- 
pulse by  advancing  on  Lake  City,  but  to  hold  Sanderson, 
unless  there  were  reasons  for  falling  back ;  and  also,  in 
case  his  advance  met  with  any  serious  opposition,  to  con- 
centrate at  Sanderson  and  the  south  fork  of  the  St. 
Mary's,  and,  if  necessary,  to  bring  back  Colonel  Henry 
to  the  latter  place.  Having  subsequently  directed  Sey- 
mour to  make  no  further  advance,  without  instructions, 
but  to  put  Jacksonville  in  a  complete  state  of  defence, 
Gillmore  returned  on  the  16th  to  Hilton  Head.  . 

On  Thursday,  February  18th,  Seymour  left  his  camp 
at  Jacksonville,  with  ten  days'  rations,  for  the  purpose 
of  destroying  the  railroad  near  the  Suwannee  River,  one 
hundred  miles  distant  from  Jacksonville.  He  had  re- 
ceived no  directions  from  Gillmore  to  undertake  this 
movement,  and  the  latter  immediately  sent  positive 
orders  to  him  to  remain  where  he  was  ;  but  these,  unfor- 
tunately, arrived  too  late  to  avert  the  disaster  which  sub- 
sequently occurred.  On  the  19th,  the  column,  numbering 
about  five  thousand  men,  reached  Barber's  Station,  on 
the  Florida  Central  Railroad,  about  thirty  miles  from 
Jacksonville.  Here  it  was  the  intention  of  Seymour  to 
remain  several  days ;  but  during  the  night  of  the  19th, 
he  received  information  of  the  enemy's  whereabouts  and 
plans,  which  led  him  to  believe  that  by  pushing  rapidly 
forward  his  column,  he  would  be  able  to  defeat  the 
enemy's  designs,  and  secure  important  military  advan- 
tages. At  seven  A.  M.  on  the  20th,  the  march  was  re- 
sumed along  the  line  of  the  railroad,  in  the  direction  of 
Lake  City,  and  at  noon  the  troops  passed  through  Sander- 
son. At  this  place  they  did  not  halt,  but  pushed  forward 
towards  Olustee,  nine  miles  distant,  the  point  at  which 
Seymour  believed  he  should  meet  the  enemy.  But 
instead  of  coming  in  contact  with  the  enemy  at  Olustee, 
the  meeting  took  place  three  miles  east  of  that  place,  and 
six  miles  west  of  Sanderson,  so  that  the  troops  were  not 
BO  well  prepared  for  battle  as  they  would  have  been  if 
Olustee  had  been  the  battle-field.  The  column  moved 
forward  in  regular  order,  the  cavalry  in  the  advance,  and 


OP  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.       1043 

the  artillery  distributed  along  the  line  of  infantry ;  but, 
with  singular  negligence,  considering  the  march  was 
through  an  enemy's  country,  no  flanking  parties  had 
been  thrown  out. 

At  two  P>  M.,  as  the  head  of  the  column  reached  a 
point  where  a  country  road  crosses  the  railroad,  the 
enemy's  skirmishers  were  encountered.  After  some  brisk 
firing,  the  rebels  fell  back  on  a  second  line  $  skirmish- 
ers, and  ultimately  upon  their  main  forces,  which  were 
strongly  posted  between  swamps,  about  six  miles  beyond 
Sanderson.  The  rebel  position  was  admirably  chosen. 
On  the  right  their  line  rested  upon  a  low  and  rather 
slight  earthwork,  protected  by  rifle-pits,  their  centre  was 
defended  by  an  impassable  swamp,  while  on  the  left  their 
cavalry  was  drawn  up  on  a  small  elevation  behind  the 
shelter  of  a  grove  of  pines.  Their  camp  was  intersected 
by  the  railroad,  on  which  was  placed  a  battery  capable 
of  operating  against  our  left  or  our  centre,  while  a  rifled 
gun,  mounted  on  a  truck,  commanded  the  road.  In 
order  to  attack  this  strong  position,  our  troops  were  com- 
pelled to  take  a  stand  between  two  swamps,  one  in  the 
front,  the  other  in  the  rear.  The  artillery  was  posted 
within  one  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy's  line  of  battle,  a 
position  in  which  they  were  exposed  to  the  deadly  fire  of 
the  rebel  sharpshooters. 

The  Seventh  New  Hampshire  Regiment,  in  connection 
with  the  Seventh  Connecticut,  was  sent  forward  to  the 
right,  to  break  through  the  enemy's  line.  This  move- 
ment brought  on  hot  firing,  and  it  was  evident  that  an 
engagement  was  near  at  hand.  At  this  time,  the  Union 
force  on  the  field  consisted  of  the  Seventh  'New  Hamp- 
shire, the  Seventh  Connecticut,  the  Independent  Batta- 
lion of  Massachusetts  Cavalry,  the  Fortieth  Massachu- 
setts Mounted  Infantry,  the  Eighth  United  States  Colored, 
Elder's  Battery  of  four,  and  Hamilton's  of  six  pieces.  The 
remainder  of  the  column  was.halted  on  the  road.  While 
the  movement  on  the  right  was  in  progress,  Colonel 
Henry,  in  person,  went  over  to  the  left  to  reconnoitre, 
and  discovered  that  the  enemy's  right  lapped  on  our  left. 
This  was  reported  to  General  Seymour,  who  immediately 
gave  orders  for  the  advance  troops  and  batteries  to  come 
into  position.  The  fact  that  the  enemy  had  a  force  far 
superior  in  point  of  numbers  to  our  own  was  now  beyond 


1044:  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

all  dispute ;  but  to  retreat  at  that  time  was  impossible, 
as  the  road  was  filled  with  troops  coming,  up,  and  the 
woods  on  either  side  would  not  admit  of  passage  on  the 
flank.  Soon  Langdon,  on  the  extreme  left,  and  Hamilton 
on  the  right,  succeeded  in  getting  their  batteries  at  work, 
but  the  guns  being  within  one  hundred  yards  of  the 
enemy's  front,  the  loss  of  life  among  the  artillerists  was 
too  great  to  enable  them  to  maintain  an  efficient  fire.  In 
twenty  minutes'  time,  Hamilton  lost  forty-four  men  and 
forty  horses.  The  Eighth  Colored  Regiment,  which 
formed  his  support,  also  suffered  considerably,  and,  after 
the  death  of  the  commander,  Colonel  Fribley,  retired  in 
disorder.  Nevertheless,  Hamilton  kept  his  pieces  at 
work  until  it  was  evident  it  would  be  sure  loss  to  fire 
1  another  round,  and  then  gave  orders  to  withdraw  them. 
Horses  were  attached  to  only  four  pieces — the  horses  to 
the  other  two  had  been  shot ;  consequently  two  guns  fell 
into  possession  of  the  enemy.  On  the  right  of  Hamilton, 
the  Seventh  Connecticut  and  the  Seventh  New  Hamp- 
shire were  doing  fearful  execution.  The  Seventh  Con- 
necticut especially  were  standing  their  ground  with 
marked  valor,  and  every  volley  from  their  guns  told  on 
the  rebel  line.  But  the  rebels  outnumbered  them  five  to 
one,  and,  after  losing  one-fourth  of  their  number,  the 
two  regiments  were  compelled  to  retire  to  the  rear.  At 
the  same  moment,  Colonel  Barton's  Brigade,  the  Forty- 
seventh,  Forty-eighth,  and  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth 
New  York  regiments,  took  the  field,  coming  up  in  line 
en  echelon.  They  fought  with  great  resolution,  but,  like 
the  other  troops,  could  not  make  head  against  the  over- 
whelming force  opposed  to  them. 

The  unequal  contest  was  sustained  until  it  became  evi- 
dent that  the  numerical  superiority  of  the  enemy  was  too 
great  to  be  successfully  opposed.  Our  line  was  gradually 
drawn  back,  leaving  the  dead  and  many  of  the  seriously 
wounded  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  This  movement 
was  covered  by  Colonel  Montgomery's  Brigade,  the 
Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  and  the  First  North  Carolina. 
When  Barton's  Brigade  began  to  waver,  in  consequence 
of  their  ammunition  running  low,  the  First  North 
Carolina  was  sent  into  line  in  front,  and  succeeded  in 
holding  the  enemy  in  check.  As  our  troops  retired,  the 
rebels  attempted  to  flank  us  on  both  sides,  a  movement 


HISTOKY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1045 

which  was  checked  by  the  judicious  dispositions  of  Colo- 
nel Henry.  The  centre  held  its  ground  under  a  heavy 
fire  from  front  and  flank,  until  the  formation  of  a  new 
position,  about  a  hundred  yards  to  the  rear.  Soon  af- 
ter the  changes  of  line,  the  enemy  made  a  desperate 
charge  on  the  centre,  but  were  driven  back  by  Elder's 
Battery. 

At  sunset  the  firing  slackened  on  both  sides,  and  the 
Union  troops,  though  exhausted  by  a  fatiguing  march 
and  three  hours'  severe  fighting,  retired  without  confusion 
from  the  field.  Seymour  was  by  this  time  satisfied  that 
the  odds  against  him  were  too  great  to  risk  a  repetition 
of  the  day's  fighting.  He  was  moreover  out  of  ammuni- 
tion, and  was  fifty  niiles  distant  from  his  base.  Every 
consideration  prompted  him  to  march  his  shattered  force 
back  to  Jacksonville  before  the  enemy  should  encompass 
it.  The  order  to  retreat  was  given,  and,  with  hardly  a 
pause,  the  troops  commenced  to  retrace  their  weary  route 
to  Barber's.  The  retreat  was  conducted  with  perfect 
order,  Colonel  Henry,  with  his  cavalry,  bringing  up  the 
rear.  At  three  o'clock,  Sunday  morning,  the  troops  were 
at  Barber's.  The  enemy  followed  closely,  but  did  not 
press.  A  few  of  their  cavalry  only  kept  well  up  to  the 
rear  of  Henry's  column.  At  Barber's  the  column  rested 
until  nine  A.  M.,  and  then  took  up  the  line  of  retreat, 
reaching  Baldwin  at  about  three  P.  M.  They  halted  here  a 
short  time,  and  then  went  on  towards  Jacksonville,  arriv- 
ing at  the  camping-ground,  six  miles  out,  Monday  after- 
noon, the  22d. 

The  Union  loss  in  this  battle  was  not  far  from  twelve 
hundred,  or  about  a  fourth  part  of  the  force  engaged.  Five 
guns  were  also  abandoned  upon  the  field,  two  of  Hamil- 
ton's and  three  of  Langdon's  Battery,  from  want  of 
horses  to  drag  them  away.  The  enemy's  loss  must  have 
been  quite  as  severe,  as  he  was  inferior  in  artillery,  and 
the  Union  batteries  were  for  the  most  part  fired  at  very 
short  range.  That  he  was  considerably  crippled  was 
evident  from  the  fact  that  he  made  no  effort  at  vigorous 
pursuit.  When  finally  he  approached  the  neighborhood 
of  Jackson,  he  found  the  Union  army  protected  by  strong 
works,  with  gunboats  to  support  it  in  case  of  need.  No 
further  attempt  was  made  to  penetrate  into  Florida,  and 
no  movement  was  initiated  for  reorganizing  the  State. 


1046  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

The  troops  on  both  sides  were  a  few  months  later  called 
away  for  more  important  work  in  Virginia. 

For  two  years  subsequent  to  the  landing  of  Burnside 
on  the  North  Carolina  coast,  the  Union  troops  had  re- 
tained uninterrupted  possession  of  those  places  on  the 
inland  waters  which  were  then  occupied  and  fortified, 
and  of  which  the  most  important  were  Plymouth,  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Roanoke  River,  near  its  entrance  into 
Albemarle  Sound  ;  "Washington,  on  the  Famlico  River, 
and  Newbern,  on  the  Neuse.  Rebel  demonstrations 
against  these  towns  in  the  spring  of  1863  had  proved 
abortive,  and  public  interest  was  soon  absorbed  by  the 
great  campaigns  in  Virginia  and  the  Valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. JBut  previous  to  the  renewal  of  active  opera- 
tions between  the  main  contending  armies,  the  rebel 
authorities  determined,  in  the  etfrly  part  of  1864,  to  make 
another  attempt  to  expel  the  Union  troops  from  North 
Carolina.  To  harass  the  Federal  Government,  and  to 
divert  its  attention  from  more  important  objects,  was  un- 
doubtedly one  of  their  motives.  Another  was  to  give 
greater  security  to  the  lines  of  railroad  traversing  North 
Carolina,  which  might  become  of  vital  importance  to  the 
Confederacy  in  the  event  of  the  success  of  Sherman's 
campaign  against  Atlanta,  and  which  were  always  more 
or  less  endangered  by  the  proximity  of  Union  garrisons 
on  the  coast.  In  aid  of  the  projected  movement,  a  large 
and  powerful  armored  ram,  called  the  Albemarle,  which 
had  been  a  long  time  building  up  the  Roanoke  River, 
was  rapidly  pushed  to  completion. 

The  first  demonstration  was  against  Newbern,  and  was 
evidently  intended  as  a  feint.  On  February  1st,  the 
rebel  General  Picket,  with  the  brigades  of  Hoke,  Corse, 
and  Clingman,  carried  by  assault  a  small  Union  outpost 
within  eight  miles  of  the  town,  capturing  two  guns  and  a 
few  prisoners  ;  but  satisfied,  apparently,  by  a  nearer  re- 
connoissdnce,  that  the  defences  of  Newbern  were  too 
strong  to  be  attacked  with  any  prospect  of  success,  he 
withdrew  his  troops  to  Kinston  on  the  succeeding  day. 

The  next  movement  was  of  a  more  serious  character, 
and  was  directed  against  Plymouth,  which  had  been 
strongly  fortified,  and  commanded  the  entrance  to  the 
Roanoke  River.  The  main  defences  comprised  a  breast- 
work with  strong  forts  at  different  points  along  the  line. 


HISTORY  OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1047 

A  mile  farther  up  the  river  was  another  strong  work, 
called  Fort  Gray,  opposite  to  which  a  triple  row  of  piles 
had  been  driven,  with  torpedoes  attached,  to  serve  as  a 
protection  to  the  Union  war  vessels  anchored  in  front  of 
the  town.  Still  farther  up  was  another  row  of  piles  with 
torpedoes,  near  which  a  picket  boat  was  stationed  to  give 
warning  of  the  approach  of  the  Albeinarle.  In  the 
middle  of  April  the  garrison  consisted  of  about  two 
thousand  five  hundred  men,  under  command  of  General 
Wessells,  and  the  gunboats  Southfield,  Miami,  Bomb- 
shell, Whitehead,  and  Ceres  were  at  anchor  in  the  river. 
On  Sunday,  April  17th,  Iloke,  with  a  force  estimated  at 
from  ten  to  fifteen  thousand  men,  and  a  heavy  artillery 
train,  appeared  before  the  town,  and,  late  in  the  after- 
noon, Fort  Gray  was  attacked  from  a  battery  of  six  pieces 
planted  on  a  sand-bank  on  Pope's  Island,  a  thousand 
yards  up  the  river.  Two  desperate  charges  were  made 
on  the  fort  at  early  dawn  of  Monday,  and  both  gallantly 
repulsed  with  severe  slaughter  to  the  enemy.  The  Bomb- 
shell, a  small  gunboat,  steaming  up  to  the  aid  of  the  fort, 
was  sunk  by. the  battery.  At  sunset  the  enemy  desper- 
ately assaulted  Forts  Williams  and  Wessells,  forming 
part  of  the  main  line  of  defences,  and  were  repulsed 
three  times,  the  gunboats  aiding  the  forts  by  hurling 
shell  among  the  rebel  columns. 

At  three  A.  M.  of  Tuesday,  the  19th,  the  much-dreaded 
Albemarle,  passing  through  the  obstructions  unharmed, 
silently  ran  down  the  river,  eluding  our  battery,  and, 
obliquely  crossing,  struck  her  prow  into  the  starboard  bow 
of  the  Southfield,  which  sank  in  ten  minutes.  The  South- 
field  was  formerly  a  ferry-boat  plying  between  New  York 
and  Staten  Island,  side-wheel,  eleven  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  tons  and  seven  guns.  Some  of  her  officers  and  crew 
were  picked  up  by  the  Miami,  some  captured,  and  a  few 
lost.  Both  the  Southfield  and  Miami  had  been  lashed 
together  to  oppose  a  joint  resistance  to  the  ram,  but  the 
shock  of  the  collision  separated  them.  The  Miami,  and 
the  Southfield  as  long  as  she  could  keep  above  water,  main- 
tained a  brisk  fire  upon  the  Albemarle,  which  proved 
utterly  ineffective.  In  firing  on  the  ram,  Lieutenant- 
Commander  Flusser,  commanding  the  Miami,  a  gallant 
and  skilful  sailor,  was  instantly  Killed  by  the  rebound  of 
a  shell  from  the  impenetrable  side  of  the  enemy.  His 


1048  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

death  was  especially  disastrous  at  that  time,  when,  most 
of  all,  his  skill  and  courage  were  needed.  The  ram,  hav- 
ing driven  off  the  gunboats,  began  to  shell  the  town  and 
forts,  briskly  aided  by  the  rebel  batteries.  The  attack 
was  violently  conducted  on  Tuesday,  the  rebel  lines 
drawing  nearer,  and  our  force  evacuating  Fort  Wessells, 
after  a  brave  defence.  At  nine  A.  M.,  on  Wednesday, 
Fort  "Williams  was  assaulted  and  the  enemy  handsomely 
repulsed  in  several  distinct  charges,  with  great  slaughter. 
At  half-past  ten  A.  M.,  General  Wessells  capitulated,  and 
pulled  the  flag  down  from  Forts  Williams  and  Comfort. 
The  garrison  at  Fort  Gray  persisted  in  holding  out  some- 
what longer,  but  finally  surrendered.  The  enemy  took 
about  two  thousand  five  hundred  prisoners,  thirty  pieces 
of  artillery,  several  hundred  horses,  a  large  amount  of 
provisions  and  stores,  and  the  garrison  outfit.  The  non- 
combatants  of  the  town  and  some  negroes  had  been  pru- 
dently removed,  before  the  main  attack,  to  Roanoke  Island. 
Our  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was  about  one  hundred 
andxfifty — the  enemy's  probably  upward  of  a  thousand. 
The  enemy  seemed  satisfied  with  this  success,  and  made 
no  further  attempt  upon  Newbern  or  Washington. 
Warned,  however,  of  the  danger  of  leaving  isolated  gar- 
risons to  be  overpowered  after  the  fashion  of  Plymouth, 
Government  ordered  the  evacuation  of  Washington  in  the 
latter  part  of  April,  so  that  by  the  1st  of  May  the  only 
place  on  the  mainland  near  the  North  Carolina  sounds 
occupied  by  the  Union  forces  was  Newbern,  which  from 
its  great  strength  might  well  defy  attack.  Operations  by 
land  forces  ended,  however,  with  the  capture  of  Ply- 
mouth, and  the  troops  on  both  sides  were  soon  after,  for 
the  most  part,  sent  North,  to  participate  in  the  campaign 
against  Richmond. 

As  the  presence  of  the  Albemarle  in  the  North  Caro- 
lina waters  threatened  to  destroy  the  uninterrupted  su- 
premacy which  the  Federal  fleets  had  maintained  there, 
the  squadron  was  increased,  and  Captain  Melancthon 
Smith,  an  experienced  officer,  placed  in  command.  On 
May  5th,  the  Union  fleet  being  collected  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Roanoke  River,  the  Albemarle  sallied  forth, 
accompanied  by  the  Bombshell  as  a  tender,  and  at  half- 
past  four  r.  M.  proceeded  to  attack  the  gunboats.  The 
latter  were  mostly  small  craft,  built  expressly  to  navigate 


HISTORY   OF   THE   OKEAT   REBELLION.  1049 

the  shallow  waters  of  the  sounds  and  the  rivers  flowing 
into  them,  but  manfully  accepted  the  unequal  battle. 
Soon  after  five  o'clock  the  Sassacus,  a  "  double-ender " 
(that  is,  a  vessel  capable  of  sailing  equally  well  in  either 
direction),  watching  her  opportunity,  struck  the  ram 
fairly  abaft  her  starboard  beam,  causing  her  to  careen 
until  the  water  washed  over  her  deck  and  casemates.  In 
this  position  the  two  vessels  remained  for  about  ten  min- 
utes, the  crew  of  the  Sassacus  vainly  endeavoring  to 
throw  hand-grenades  down  the  hatch  of  the  Albemarle, 
and  to  get  powder  into  her  smoke-stack.  At  length  they 
separated,  and  at  the  moment  of  parting  the  ram  sent  a 
hundred-pound  shot  clean  through  the  starboard  boiler  of 
her  antagonist,  filling  her  with  steam  and  causing  her  to 
retire  for  a  while  from  the  fight.  No  further  casualty  oc- 
curred to  the  Union  fleet,  and  about  half-past  seven  the 
ram  retired  up  the  Roanoke  River.  Her  tender,  the 
Bombshell,  was  captured  early  in  the  action.  From  re- 
ports of  refugees,  it  appeared  that  the  Albemarle  had 
suffered  considerably  in  the  encounter.  None  of  the 
gunboats  were  much  injured  except  the  Sassacus,  and  the 
battle,  considering  the  relative  strength  of  the  contending 
parties,  was  justly  claimed  to  have  been  creditable  to  the 
courage  and  skill  of  American  seamen. 

The  Albemarle  did  not  venture  outside  of  the  river 
again,  but,  under  the  apprehension  that  she  might  at  any 
time  make  her  appearance,  various  plans  were  devised  for 
her  destruction.  Of  these,  the  only  successful  one  was 
that  suggested  and  undertaken  by  Lieutenant  W.  B. 
Gushing,  a  young  officer  who  had  gained  an  enviable 
reputation  for  coolness  and  intrepidity  in  hazardous  en- 
terprises. On  the  night  of  October  27th  he  started  up 
the  Roanoke  in  a  steam-launch  equipped  as  a  torpedo- 
boat,  having  on  board  a  crew  of  thirteen  officers  and 
men.  The  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  to 
where  the  ram  lay  was  about  eight  miles,  and  the  banks, 
which  are  about  two  hundred  yards  apart,  were  lined  with 
rebel  pickets.  About  a  mile  below  the  town  was  the 
wreck  of  the  Southfield,  surrounded  by  some  river  craft. 
The  result  of  the  attempt  is  thus  related  by  Lieutenant 
Gushing : — 

"  Our  boat  succeeded  in  passing  the  picket,  and  even  the  Southfield 


1050  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

within  twenty  yards,  without  discovery,  and  we  were  not  hailed  until  by 
the  lookouts  on  the  ram.  The  cutter  was  then  cast  off  and  ordered  below, 
while  we  made  for  our  enemy  under  a  full  head  of  steam.  The  rebels 
sprang  their  rattles,  rang  the  bell,  and  commenced  firing,  at  the  same  time 
repeating  their  hail,  and  seeming  much  confused.  The  light  of  a  fire 
ashore  showed  mo  the  iron-clad,  made  fast  to  the  wharf,  with  a  pen  of  logs 
around  her  about  thirty  feet  from  her  side.  Passing  her  closely,  we  made 
a  complete  circle,  so  as  to  strike  her  fairly,  and  went  into  her  bows  on. 
By  this  time  the  enemy's  fire  was  very  severe,  but  a  dose  of  canister,  at 
short  range,  served  to  moderate  their  zeal  and  disturb  their  aim.  Pay- 
master Swan,  of  the  Otsego,  was  wounded  near  me,  but  how  many  more  I 
know  not.  Three  bullets  struck  my  clothing,  and  the  air  seemed  full  of 
them.  In  a  moment  we  had  struck  the  logs,  just  abreast  of  the  quarter- 
port,  breasting  them  in  some  feet,  and  our  bows  resting  on  them.  The 
torpedo-boom  was  then  lowered,  and,  by  a  vigorous  pull,  I  succeeded  in 
driving  the  torpedo  under  the  overhang,  and  exploded  it  at  the  same  time 
that  the  Albemarle's  gun  was  fired.  .A  shot  seemed  to  go  crashing 
through  my  boat,  and  a  dense  mass  of  water  rushed  in  from  the  torpedo, 
filling  the  launch  and  completely  disabling  her.  The  enemy  then  con- 
tinued his  fire  at  fifteen  feet  range,  and  demanded  our  surrender,  which  I 
twice  refused,  ordering  the  men  to  save  themselves,  and  removing  my  own 
coat  and  shoes.  Springing  into  the  river,  I  swam,  with  others,  into  the 
middle  of  the  stream,  the  rebels  failing  to  hit  us.  The  most  of  our  party 
were  captured,  some  drowned,  and  only  one  escaped  besides  myself,  and 
he  in  a  different  direction.  Acting  Master's  Mate  Woodman,  of  the  Com- 
modore Hull,  I  met  in  the  water  half  a  mile  below  the  town,  and  assisted 
him  as  best  I  could,  but  failed  to  get  him  ashore.  Completely  exhausted, 
I  managed  to  reach  the  shore,  but  was  too  weak  to  crawl  out  of  the  water 
untiljust  at  daylight,  when  I  managed  to  creep  into  the  swamp,  close  to 
the  fort.  "While  hiding  a  few  foet  from  the  path,  two  of  the  Albemarle's 
officers  passed,  and  I  judged  from  their  conversation  that  the  ship  was  des- 
troyed. Some  hours'  travelling  in  the  swamp  served  to  bring  me  out  well 
below  the  town,  when  I  sent  a  negro  in  to  gain  information,  and  found 
that  the  ram  was  truly  sunk.  Proceeding  through  another  swamp,  I 
came  to  a  creek  and  captured  a  skiff  belonging  to  a  picket  of  the  enemy, 
and  with  this,  by  eleven  o'clock  the  next  night,  had  made  my  way  out  to 
the  Valley  City." 

Only  one  other  of  the  party  succeeded  in  escaping,  the 
rest  being  either  killed,  captured,  or  drowned.  A  detach- 
ment of  naval  vessels  occupied  Plymouth  a  few  days  later, 
and  found  the  Albemarle  lying  near  her  wharf,  completely 
submerged.  In  the  succeeding  year,  however,  she  was 
raised  and  converted  into  a  useful  war-vessel.  With  this 
event  military  operations  were  practically  ended  in  tjie 
inland  waters  of  North  Carolina. 

During  the  year  1864,  the  three  English-built,  equip- 
ped, and  manned  cruisers,  the  Alabama,  Georgia,  and 
Florida,  whose  depredations  upon  unarmed  merchantmen 
had  almost  paralyzed  the  American  carrying  trade,  ter- 
minated their  piratical  career.  Early  in  June,  the  Ala- 
bama, Captain  Raphael  Semmes,  after  an  unusually  pros- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1051 

perous  career  in  the  Southern  Atlantic  and  Indian  Oceans, 
arrived  in  the  harbor  of  Cherbourg.  At  that  time  the 
United  States  corvette  Kearsarge,  Captain  John  A.  "Wins- 
low,  was  lying  at  Flushing,  and  her  commander,  upon 
hearing  of  the  return  of  the  Alabama  to  Northern  waters, 
at  once  repaired  to  Cherbourg  to  watch  her  movements. 
Semines,  ashamed  possibly  of  his  inglorious  career  against 
defenceless  vessels,  and  desirous  td  show  that  he  was  not 
afraid  to  meet  an  antagonist  of  equal  strength  with  his 
own  ship,  immediately  sent  word  to  Captain  Winslow 
that  he  was  desirous  of  meeting  him  in  combat  outside  the 
harbor  of  Cherbourg,  and  would  feel  obliged  if  the  Union 
commander  would  wait  until  the  Alabama  was  put  in 
fighting  trim.  This  proposition  was  willingly  accepted 
by  Captain  Winslow,  and  the  Kearsarge  was  held  in  readi- 
ness for  the  expected  fight.  The  two  vessels  thus  about 
to  measure  their  strength  were  as  nearly  equally  matched 
as  any  ocean  combatants  could  be,  their  relative  propor- 
tions being  as  follows: — 

Alabama.  Kearsarge. 

Length  over  all 220  feet  214J-  feet. 

Length  on  water-line 210    "  198£     " 

Beam 32    "  '33       " 

Depth 17    "  16       " 

Horse-power,  two  engines  of 300  each.  400  h.  p. 

Tonnage 1,150  1,031 

The  Alabama  was  a  bark-rigged  screw  propeller,  and 
the  heaviness  of  her  rig,  and,  above  all,  the  greater  size 
and  height  of  her  masts,  gave  her  the  appearance  of  a 
much  larger  vessel  than  her  antagonist.  The  masts  of  the 
latter  were  disproportionately  low  and  small ;  she  never 
carried  more  than  topsail  yards,  and  depended  for  her 
speed  upon  her  machinery  alone.  Ships  of  war,  however, 
whatever  may  be  their  tonnage,  are  nothing  more  than 
platforms  for  carrying  artillery.  The  only  mode  by  which 
to  judge  of  the  strength  of  two  vessels  is  in  comparing 
their  armaments ;  and  herein  we  find  the  equality  of  the 
antagonists  as  fully  exemplified  as  in  the  respective  pro- 
portions of  their  hulls  and  steam  power.  The  armaments 
of  the  Alabama  and  Kearsarge  were  as  follows : — 

Armament  of  the  Alabama. — One  7-inch  Blakely  rifle; 
one  8-inch  smooth-bore  68-pounder;  six  32-pounders. 


1052  HISTORY  OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

Armament  of  the  Kearsarge. — Two  11-inch  smooth- 
bore guns ;  one  30-pounder  rifle ;  four  32-pounders. 

It  will,  therefore,  be  seen  that  the  Alabama  had  the 
advantage  of  the  Kearsarge — at  all  events,  in  the  number 
of  her  guns — while  the  weight  of  the  latter's  broadside 
was  only  some  twenty  per  cent,  greater  than  her  own. 

To  protect  the  boilers  of  the  Kearsarge,  Captain  Wins- 
low  had  adopted  the  simple  expedient  of  hanging  her 
spare  anchor  cable  over  tne  midship  section  on  either 
side.  This  had  first  been  adopted  by  Farragut,  in  run- 
ning with  his  fleet  past  Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Philip,  on 
the  Mississippi.  The  operation  took  just  three  days, 
without  other  assistance  than  the  crew  could  afford ;  and 
in  order  to  make  the  addition  less  unsightly,  the  chains 
were  boxed  over  with  inch  deal  boards,  forming  a  case  or 
box,  which  stood  out  at  right  angles  with  the  vessel's 
sides.  This  was  the  whole  foundation  for  the  absurd  sto- 
ries circulated  by  rebel  sympathizers,  and  which  Semmes 
himself  gave  publicity  to,  that  the  Kearsarge  was  a  for- 
midable iron-clad,  and  consequently  of  vastly  greater 
strength  than  her  opponent.  This  method  of  employing 
the  anchor  cable  was  perfectly  well  known  to  the  rebel 
commander.  He,  however,  preferred  to  protect  his  own 
boilers  by  taking  on  board  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of 
coal,  which,  in  addition  to  two  hundred  tons  already  in 
his  bunkers,  brought  his  vessel  pretty  low  in  the  water, 
while  the  Kearsarge,  on  the  contrary,  was  deficient  in 
coal,  having  taken  on  board  »barely  sufficient  for  her  im- 
mediate wants. 

Five  days  sufficed  to  complete  Semmes's  preparations, 
and  on  Sunday  morning,  June  19th,  the  Alabama,  in 
"prime  condition,"  according  to  his  own  statement,  sal- 
lied forth  to  meet  the  Union  cruiser.  So  much  publicity 
had  been  given  to  the  announcement  that  the  Uni<5n  and 
rebel  war  steamers  were  about  to  contend  in  sight  of  the 
French  coast,  that  the  appointed  day  found  the  shores 
thronged  with  spectators,  to  whom  a  genuine  sea-fight 
was  a  thing  rather  of  the  past  than  the  present  day.  Fifty 
years  had  elapsed  since  the  navies  of  England  and  France 
had  contended  in  the  same  waters.  Special  excursion 
trains  brought  thousands  of  persons  from  Paris,  and  many 
had  even  come  over  from  England.  The  efficiency  of 
modern  ordnance  was  now  about  to  be  tested  by  skilful 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1053 

hands,  and  the  gunners  of  the  Alabama,  who  had  mostly 
been  trained  on  the  British  practice-ship  Excellent,  were 
expected  to  show  the  superiority  of  the  Blakely  guns  over 
those  carried  by  the  Kearsarge.  The  latter  depended 
principally  upon  her  eleven -inch  Dahlgrens,  and  her  gun- 
ners, taken  mostly  from  the  merchantmen,  were  without 
other  instruction  than  that  acquired  during  the  year  or 
two  they  had  been  in  the  National  service.  Singularly 
enough,  too,  although  the  greater  part  of  European  ships 
of  war  were  steam  propelled,  no  single  combat  between 
vessels  of  this  class,  similar  to  those  so  often  recorded  in 
naval  history,  had  ever  taken  place  in  European  waters, 
and  curiosity  was  greatly  excited  as  to  the  probable  result 
of  such  a  contest.  The  day  was  clear  and  beautiful,  just 
enough  of  a  breeze  prevailing  to  ruffle  the  surface  of  the 
water,  and  as  the  Alabama  weighed  and  stood  out  of 
Cherbourg  harbor  on  her  mission  of  death  and  destruction, 
the  church  bells  on  either  coast  were  summoning  worship- 
pers to  the  house  of  God. 

Shortly  after  ten  o'clock,  the  officers  of  the  Kearsarge 
descried  their  antagonist  coming  out  of  the  western  en- 
trance of  the  harbor,  accompanied  by  the  French  iron- 
clad frigate  Couronne,  which  had  been  ordered  to  convoy 
her  outside  the  limits  of  French  waters.  No  sooner  was 
the  limit  of  jurisdiction  reached  than  the  Couronne  put 
down  her  helm,  and  steamed  back  into  port.  Imme- 
diately preceding  the  Alabama  was  a  three-masted  steam 
yacht,  the  Deerhound,  belonging  to  a  Mr.  Lancaster,  an 
Englishman,  who  was  on  board  with  his  family,  ostensibly 
to  witness  the  contest,  but  really,  as  it  afterwards  proved, 
to  act  the  part  of  a  tender  to  the  rebel  steamer.  For  the 
purpose  of  avoiding  any  infraction  of  French  jurisdiction, 
and  also  of  drawing  the  Alabama  so  far  ofi'  from  shore 
that,  if  disabled,  she  could  not  return  to  port,  Captain 
Winslow  put  out  to  sea,  and  at  once  cleared  for  action. 
Having  reached  a  point  seven  miles  from  shore,  he  turn- 
ed the  head  of  his  ship  short  around,  and  steered  for  the 
Alabama,  intending  to  run  her  down,  or,  if  that  were  not 
practicable,  to  close  in  with  her.  The  following  is  his 
graphic  account  of  the  action  which  followed : — 

"  Hardly  had  the  Kearsarge  come  round  before  the  Alabama  sheered, 
presented  her  starboard  battery,  and  slowed  her  engines.  On  approaching 
her  at  long  range  of  about  a  mile,  she  opened  her  Ml  broadside,  the  shot 


1054  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

cutting  some  of  our  rigging,  and  going  over  and  alongside  of  us.  Imme- 
diately I  ordered  more  speed ;  but  in  two  minutes  the  Alabama  had  loaded 
and  again  fired  another  broadside,  and  followed  it  with  a  third,  without 
damaging  us  except  in  rigging.  We  had  now  arrived  within  about  nina 
hundred  yards  of  her,  and  I  was  apprehensive  that  another  broadside — 
nearly  ralpng  as  it  was — would  prove  disastrous.  Accordingly  I  ordered 
the  Kearsarge  sheered,  and  opened  on  the  Alabama.  The  position  of  the 
vessels  was  now  broadside  and  broadside ;  but  it  was  soon  apparent  that 
Captain  Semmes  did  not  seek  close  action.  I  became  then  fearful  lest,  after 
some  fighting,  that  he  would  again  make  for  the  shore.  To  defeat  this,  I 
determined  to  keep  full  speed  on,  and  with  a  port  helm  to  run  under  the 
stern  of  the  Alabama  and  rake  her,  if  he  did  not  prevent  it  by  sheering  and 
keeping  his  broadside  to  us.  He  adopted  this  mode  as  a  preventive,  and  as 
a  consequence  the  Alabama  was  forced,  with  a  full  head  of  steam,  into  a 
circular  track  during  the  engagement.  The  effect  of  this  manoeuvre  was 
such  that,  at  the  last  of  the  action,  when  the  Alabama  would  have  made 
off,  she  was  near  five  miles  from  the  shore ;  and,  had  the  action  continued 
from  the  first  in  parallel  lines,  with  her  head  in  shore,  the  line  of  jurisdic- 
tion would  no  doubt  have  been  reached.  The  firing  of  the  Alabama  from 
the  first  was  rapid  and  wild ;  towards  the  close  of  the  action  her  firing  be- 
came better.  Our  men,  who  had  been  cautioned  against  rapid  firing  with- 
out direct  aim,  were  much  more  deliberate ;  and  the  instructions  given  to 
point  the  heavy  guns  below  rather  than  above  the  waterline,  and  clear  the 
deck  with  the  lighter  ones,  was  fully  observed. 

"I  had  endeavored,  with  a  port  helm,  to  close  in  with  the  Alabama,  but 
it  was  not  until  just  before  the  close  of  the  action  that  we  were  in  position 
to  use  grape.  This  was  avoided,  however,  by  her  surrender.  The  effect  of 
the  training  of  our  men  was  evident;  nearly  every  shot  from  our  guns  was 
telling  fearfully  on  the  Alabama,  and  on  the  seventh  rotation  on  the  circu- 
lar track  she  winded,  setting  foretrysail  and  two  jibs,  with  head  in  shore. 
Her  speed  was  now  retarded,  and  by  winding,  her  port  broadside  was  pre- 
sented to  us,  with  only  two  guns  bearing,  not  having  been  able,  as  I  learn- 
ed afterwards,  to  shift  over  but  one.  I  saw  now  that  she  was  at  our  mer- 
cy, and  a  few  more  guns,  well  directed,  brought  down  her  flag.  I  was  un- 
able to  ascertain  whether  it  had  been  hauled  down  or  shot  away ;  but  a 
white  flag  having  been  displayed  over  the  stern,  our  fire  was  reserved.  Two 
minutes  had  not  more  than  elapsed  before  she  again  opened  on  us  with  two 
guns  on  the  port  side.  This  drew  our  fire  again,  and  the  Kearsarge  was 
immediately  steamed  ahead,  and  laid  across  her  bows  for  raking.  The  white 
flag  was  still  flying,  and  our  fire  was  again  reserved.  Shortly  after  this 
her  boats  were  seen  to  be  lowering,  and  an  officer  in  one  of  them  came 
alongside,  and  informed  us  the  ship  had  surrendered,  and  was  fast  sinking. 
In  twenty  minutes  from  this  time  the  Alabama  went  down,  her  mainmast, 
which  had  been  shot,  breaking  near  the  head  as  she  sank,  and  her  bow 
rising  high  out  of  the  water  as  her  stern  rapidly  settled." 

In  allusion  to  what  occurred  after  the  surrender  of  the 
Alabama,  Captain  Winslow  reports  as  follows : — 

"  It  was  seen  shortly  afterwards  that  the  Alabama  was  lowering  her 
boats,  and  an  officer  came  alongside  in  one  of  them,  to  say  that  they  had 
surrendered,  and  were  fast  sinking,  and  begging  that  boats  would  be  dis- 
patched immediately  for  saving  of  life.  The  two  boats  not  disabled  were 
at  once  lowered,  and,  as  it  was  apparent  the  Alabama  was  settling,  this  offi- 
cer was  permitted  to  leave  in  his  boat  to  afford  assistance.  An  English 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1055 

yacht,  the  Deerhound,  had  approached  near  the  Kearsarge  at  this  time,  when 
I  hailed  and  begged  the  commander  to  run  down  to  the  Alabama,  as  she 
was  fast  sinking,  and  we  had  but  two  boats,  and  assist  in  picking  up  the 
men.  He  answered  affirmatively,  and  steamed  towards  the  Alabama,  but 
the  latter  sank  almost  immediately.  The  Deerhound,  however,  sent  her 
boats,  and  was  actively  engaged,  aided  by  several  others,  which  had  come 
from  shore.  These  boats  were  busy  in  bringing  the  wounded  and  others  to 
the  Kearsarge,  whom  we  were  trying  to  make  as  comfortable  as  possible, 
when  it  was  reported  to  me  that  the  Deerhound  was  moving  off.  I  could 
not  believe  that  the  commander  of  that  vessel  could  be  guilty  of  so  dis- 
graceful an  act  as  taking  our  prisoners  off,  and  therefore  took  no  means  to 
prevent  it,  but  continued  to  keep  our  boats  at  work  rescuing  the  men  in 
the  water.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  was  mistaken;  the  D"eerhound  made 
off  with  Captain  Semrnes  and  others,  and  also  the  vory  officer  who  had 
come  on  board  to  surrender.  I  learnt  subsequently  that  .the  Deerhound 
was  a  consort  of  the  Alabama,  and  that  she  received  on  board  all  the  valu- 
able personal  effects  of  Captain  Semmes  the  night  before  the  engagement." 

The  Alabama,  which  fought  seven  guns  to  the  Kear- 
sarge's  five,  is  reported  to  have  discharged  three  hundred 
and  seventy  or  more  shot  and  shell  in  this  engagement, 
but  inflicted  no  serious  damage  on  the  Kearsarge.  Thir- 
teen or  fourteen  took  effect  in  and  about  the  hull  of  the 
latter,  and  sixteen  or  seventeen  about  the  masts  and  rig- 
ging. The  Kearsarge  fired  one  hundred  and  seventy-three 
projectiles,  of  which  one  alone  killed  and  wounded  eigh- 
teen of  the  crew  of  the  Alabama,  and  disabled  one  of  her 
guns.  Three  persons  were  wounded  on  the  Kearsarge. 
The  number  of  killed  and  wounded  on  the  Alabama  is 
unknown.  Seventeen  of  the  wounded,  two  of  them  in  a 
dying  condition,  were  brought  on  board  the  Kearsarge. 
One  hundred  and  fifteen  officers  and  men  of  the  Alabama's 
crew  reached  the  shores  of  England  and  France,  of  whom 
six  officers  and  sixty-four  men  were  taken  on  board  the 
Kearsarge.  The  Deerhound  carried  off  fifteen  officers, 
including  Semmes,  who  was  sliglitly  wounded,  and  twen- 
ty-seven men.  The  total  ship's  company  of  the  Alabama, 
so  far  as  can  be  ascertaine'd,  amounted  to  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty,  the  majority  being  British  subjects,  of  whom 
probably  more  than  thirty  were  killed  or  drowned.  The 
officers  and  crew  of  the  Kearsarge  numbered  one  hundred 
and  sixty-three.  The  conduct  of  Semmes  in  throwing 
overboard  his  sword  after  surrendering,  and  allowing  him- 
self to  be  conveyed  to  England,  was  severely  commented 
upon,  and  it  was  directed  by  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment that  he  should  be  considered  a  prisoner  of  war  until 
properly  exchanged. 


1056  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

The  Florida  originally  sailed  from  England  under  the 
name  of  Oreto,  and  under  that  name  she  was,  on  reaching 
Nassau,  brought  before  the  court  through  the  efforts  of 
the  American  consul,  who  was  satisfied  that  she  was  in 
the  rebel  interest  and  intended  as  a  rebel  cruiser.  The 
neutral  authorities  decided  in  favor  of  the  vessel,  which 
was  permitted  to  proceed.  Leaving  Nassau,  she  went  to 
Green  Cay,  where  she  received  on  board  the  armament 
sent  out  for  her  from  England,  ran  into  Mobile,  changed 
her  name  into  Florida,  and  subsequently,  fleeing  from  all 
naval  vessels,  carried  on  predatory  war  on  American 
commerce,  capturing  and  destroying  unarmed  merchant- 
men, without  ever  sending  in  a  vessel  for  adjudication. 
In  February,  1864,  availing  herself  of  a  dark  night,  she 
escaped  from  Brest,  eluding  the  Kearsarge,  which  was  off 
that  port.  In  June  she  visited  the  neutral  port  of  St. 
George's,  Bermuda,  and  remained  there  nine  days,  re- 
ceiving all  the  coal  and  supplies  necessary  for  a  long 
piratical  cruise.  Leaving  St.  George's  on  the  27th  of 
that  month,  she  remained  outside,  but  in  sight,  for  three 
or  four  days,  boarding  all  vessels  that  approached  the 
island.  On  the  10th  of  July  she  captured  the  Electric 
Spark,  near  our  coast,  while  several  vessels  were  cruising 
for  lierf  but  she  escaped,  and  was  next  heard  from  at 
Teneriffe,  on  the  4th  of  August.  Subsequently,  entering 
the  bay  of  San  Salvador,  Brazil,  she  encountered  the 
steamer  "Wachusett,  commanded  by  Commander  Collins, 
who,  taking  advantage  of  the  absence  of  Captain  Morris 
and  about  half  the  crew  of  the  Florida  on  shore,  quietly 
raised  anchor  and  drove  his  ship  straight  into  the  rebel, 
who  at  once  surrendered.  A  hawser  was  then  attached 
to  the  captured  vessel,  and  the  Wachusett  steamed  out  of 
the  harbor  at  full  speed,  having  her  prize  in  tow.  The 
harbor  fortifications  opened  upon  her  as  she  passed  out, 
and  she  was  followed  by  two  Brazilian  men-of-war,  which, 
however,  failed  to  overtake  her.  The  Florida  was  finally 
brought  in  a  leaky  and  dilapidated  condition  to  Hamp- 
ton Roads.  Here,  while  at  anchor,  and  pending  the 
settlement  of  the  questions  of  international  law  which 
her  capture  in  a  neutral  port  involved,  an  army  trans- 
port came  in  collision  with  the  shattered  vessel,  which 
sank  a  few  days  after,  near  the  wreck  of  the  Cumberland. 

The  Georgia,  another  English-built  naval  vessel  which 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1057 

cruised  under  the  rebel  flag,  repaired  to  Cherbourg  in 
February,  1864,  and  thence  proceeded  to  the  Mersey, 
where  she  changed  owners.  Her  armament  was  removed 
from  her,  and  she  left  Liverpool  for  Lisbon.  On  the  15th 
of  August,  Commodore  T.  T.  Craven,  of  the  Niagara,  fel? 
in  with  her  in  latitude  39°  16'  north,  longitude  9°  39 
west,  sailing  under  the  English  flag.  Commodore  Craven 
took  possession  of  the  vessel  as  a  lawful  prize,  and,  putting 
a  prize  crew  on  board  of  her,  he  sent  her  to  the  United 
States. 

65 


1058  HISTORY   OF  THE   GBEAT   REBELLION". 


CHAPTER  LXVI. 

Depopulation  of  Atlanta. — Correspondence  between  General  Sherman  and 
Mayor  Calhoun. — Flank  Movement  by  Hood. — Attack  on  AUatoona. — 
Hood  Severs  Sherman's  Communications. — Marches  into  Alabama  and 
Enters  Tennessee. — Sherman's  New  Plan  of  Campaign. — Invasion  of 
Tennessee. — Battle  of  Franklin. — Affair  at  Murfreesboro. — Battles  of 
December  15th  and  16th  before  Nashville. — Retreat  of  Hood  into 
Alabama. — Close  of  the  Campaign. 

THE  order  for  the  depopulation  of  Atlanta  which 
General  Sherman,  for  military  reasons,  deemed  it  proper 
to  issue  and  enforce,  met  with  no  little  opposition  from 
the  small  remnant  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  once  nourish- 
ing place  who  had  remained  there  during  all  the  rigors 
of  the  siege.  We  have  seen  how  Sherman  replied  to 
Hood's  remonstrance.  The  following  correspondence 
between  him  and  the  major  of  Atlanta  conveys  in  as 
clear  and  forcible  terms,  perhaps,  as  were  ever  employed 
for  the  purpose,  the  harships  which  the  people  of  the  re- 
bellious States  brought  upon  themselves  in  attempting 
to  sever  their  relations  with  the  Union,  and  plunge  the 
country  in  the  horrors  of  civil  war : — 

LETTER  OF  MAYOR  CALHOUN. 

"ATLANTA,  GEORGIA,  September  11,  1864. 
"  Major-General  "W.  T.  SHERMAN  : 

"  SIB  : — The  undersigned,  Mayor  and  two  members  of  Council  for  the 
city  of  Atlanta,  for  the  time  being  the  only  legal  organ  of  the  people  of 
the  said  city  to  express  their  wants  and  wishes,  ask  leave  most  earnestly, 
but  respectfully,  to  petition  you  to  reconsider  the  order  requiring  them  to 
leave  Atlanta.  At  first  view  it  struck  us  that  the  measure  would  involve 
extraordinary  hardship  and  loss;  but  since  we  have  seen  the  practical 
execution  of  it,  so  far  as  it  has  progressed,  and  the  individual  condition  of 
many  of  the  people,  and  heard  the  statements  as  to  the  inconveniencies, 
loss,  and  suffering  attending  it,  we  are  satisfied  that  the  amount  of  it  will 
involve  in  the  aggregate  consequences  appalling  and  heart-rending. 

"  Many  poor  women  are  in  the  advanced  state  of  pregnancy ;  others  hav- 
ing young  children,  whose  husbands,  for  the  greater  part,  are  either  in  the 
army,  prisoners,  or  dead.  Some  say :  '  I  have  such  a  one  sick  at  my 
house ;  who  will  wait  on  them  when  I  am  gone  ? '  Others  say  :  '  What  are 
we  to  do?  we  have  no  houses  to  go  to,  and  no  means  to  buy,  build,  or  rent 
any ;  no  parents,  relatives,  or  friends  to  go  to.'  Another  says  :  '  I  will 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1059 

try  and  take  this  or  that  article  of  property  ;  but  such  and  such  things  I 
must  leave  behind,  though  I  need  them  much.'  We  reply  to  them  : 
'  General  Sherman  will  carry  your  property  to  Rough  and  Ready,  and  then 
General  Hood  will  take  it  thence  on."  And  they  will  reply  to  that  :  'But 
I  want  to  leave  the  railroad  at  such  a  place,  and  cannot  get  conveyance 
from  thence  on.' 

"We  only  refer  to  a  few  facts  to  illustrate  in  part  how  this  measure  will 
operate  in  practice.  As  you  advanced,  the  people  north  of  us  fell  back, 
and  before  your  arrival  here  a  large  portion  of  the  people  here  had  retired 
south  ;  so  that  the  country  south  of  this  is  already  crowded,  and  without 
sufficient  houses  to  accommodate  the  people,  and  we  are  informed  that 
many  are  now  staying  in  churches  and  other  outbuildings.  This  being  so, 
how  is  it  possible  for  the  people  still  here  (mostly  women  and  children)  to 
find  shelter,  and  how  can  they  live  through  the  winter  in  the  woods  —  no 
shelter  or  subsistence  —  in  the  midst  of  strangers,  who  know  them  not,  and 
without  the  power  to  assist  them  much,  if  they  were  willing  to  do  so  ? 

l>  This  is  but  a  feeble  picture  of  the  consequences  of  this  measure.  You 
know  the  woe,  the  horror,  and  the  suffering  cannot  be  described  by  words. 
Imagination  can  only  conceive  of  it  ;  and  we  ask  you  to  take  these  things 
into  consideration.  We  know  your  mind  and  time  are  continually  occupied 
with  the  duties  of  your  command,  which  almost  deters  us  from  asking 
your  attention  to  the  matter  ;  but  thought  it  might  be  that  you  had  not 
considered  the  subject  in  all  of  its  awful  consequences,  and  that,  on  reflec- 
tion, you,  we  hope,  would  not  make  this  people  an  exception  to  all  man- 
kind ;  for  we  know  of  no  such  instance  ever  having  occurred  —  surely  not 
in  the  United  States.  And  what  has  this  helpless  people  done,  that  they 
should  be  driven  from  their  homes,  to  wander  as  strangers,  outcasts,  and 
exiles,  and  to  subsist  on  charity  ? 

"  We  do  not  know  as  yet  the  number  of  people  still  here.  Of  those  who 
aro  here,  a  respectable  number,  if  allowed  to  remain  at  home,  could  sub- 
sist for  several  months  without  assistance  ;  and  a  respectable  number,  for 
a  much  longer  time,  and  who.  might  not  need  assistance  at  any  tune. 

"  In  conclusion,  we  most  earnestly  and  solemnly  petition  you  to  recon- 
sider this  order,  or  modify  it,  and  suffer  this  unfortunate  people  to  remain 
at  home  and  enjoy  what  little  means  they  have. 

"  Respectfully  submitted.  JAMES  M.  CALHOUN,  Mayor. 


GENERAL    SHERMAN'S    REPLY. 

"HEAD-QUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI,  } 

"!N  THE  FIELD, 

"ATLANTA,  GEORGIA,  September  12,  1864.  ) 
"  JAMES  M.  CALHOUN,  Mayor  ;  E.  E.  RAWSON  and  S.  C.  WELLS,  representing 

City  Council  of  Atlanta  : 

"GENTLEMEN:  —  I  have  your  letter  of  the  llth,  in  the  nature  of  a  peti- 
tion to  revoke  my  orders  removing  all  the  inhabitants  from  Atlanta.  I 
have  read  it  carefully,  and  give  full  credit  to  your  statements  of  the  dis- 
tress that  will  be  occasioned  by  it,  and  yet  shall  not  revoke  my  order, 
simply  because  my  orders  are  not  designed  to  meet  the  humanities  of  the 
case,  but  to  prepare  for  the  future  struggles,  in  which  millions,  yea,  hun- 
dreds of  millions  of  good  people  outside  of  Atlanta,  have  a  deep  interest. 
We  must  have  peace,  not  only  at  Atlanta,  but  in  ah1  America.  To  secure 
this,  we  must  stop  the  war  that  now  desolates  our  once  happy  and  favored 
country.  To  stop  war,  we  must  defeat  the  rebel  armies  that  are  arrayed 


1060  HISTORY   OF  THE   GKEAT   REBELLION. 

against  the  laws  and  Constitution,  which  all  must  respect  and  obey.  To 
defeat  these  armies,  we  must  prepare  the  way  to  reach  them  in  their 
recesses,  provided  with  the  arms  and  instruments  which  enable  us  to  ac- 
complish our  purpose. 

"  Now,  I  know  the  vindictive  nature  of  our  enemy,  and  that  we  may 
have  many  years  of  military  operations  from  this  quarter,  and  therefore 
deem  it  wise  and  prudent  to  prepare  in  tune.  The  use  of  Atlanta  for  war- 
like purposes  is  inconsistent  with  its  character  as  a  home  for  families. 
There  will  be  no  manufactures,  commerce,  or  agriculture  here  for  tlie 
maintenance  of  families,  and  sooner  or  later  want  will  compel  the  inhabit- 
ants to  go.  Why  not  go  now,  when  all  the  arrangements  are  completed 
for  the  transfer,  instead  of  waiting  till  the  plunging  shot  of  contending 
armies  will  renew  the  scene  of  the  past  month  ?  Of  course  I  do  not  ap- 
prehend any  such  thing  at  this  moment ;  but  you  do  not  suppose  that  this 
army  will  be  here  till  the  war  is  over?  I  cannot  discuss  this  subject  with 
you  fairly,  because  I  cannot  impart  to  you  what  I  propose  to  do ;  but  I  as- 
sert that  my  military  plans  make  it  necessary  for  the  inhabitants  to  go 
away,  and  I  can  only  renew  my  offer  of  services  to  make  their  exodus  in 
any  direction  as  easy  and  comfortable  as  possible.  You  cannot  qualify  war 
in  harsher  terms  than  I  will.  War  is  cruelty,  and  you  cannot  define  it ; 
and  those  who  brought  war  on  our  country  deserve  all  the  curses  and 
maledictions  a  people  can  pour  out.  I  know  I  had  no  hand  in  making  this 
war,  and  I  know  I  will  make  more  sacrifices  to-day  than  any  of  you  to  se- 
cure peace.  But  you  cannot  have  peace  and  a  division  of  our  country.  If 
the  United  States  submits  to  a  division  now,  it  will  not  stop,  but  will  go  on 
till  we  reap  the  fate  of  Mexico,  which  is  eternal  war.  The  United  States 
does  and  must  assert  its  authority  wherever  it  has  power ;  if  it  relaxes  one 
bit  to  pressure,  it  is  gone,  and  I  know  that  such  is  not  the  national  feeling. 
This  feeling  assumes  various  shapes,  but  always  comes  back  to  that  of 
Union.  Once  admit  the  Union,  once  more  acknowledge  the  authority  of 
the  National  Government,  and  instead  of  devoting  your  houses  and  streets 
and  roads  to  the  dread  uses  of  war,  I  and  this  army  become  at  once  your 
protectors  and  supporters,  shielding-you  from  danger,  let  it  come  from  what 
quarter  it  may.  I  know  that  a  few  individuals  cannot  resist  a  torrent  of 
error  and  passion,  such  as  has  swept  the  South  into  rebellion ;  but  you  can 
point  out,  so  that  we  may  know  those  who  desire  a  Government,  and  those 
who  insist  upon  war  and  its  desolation. 

"  You  might  as  well  appeal  against  the  thunder-storm  as  against  these 
terrible  hardships  of  war.  They  are  inevitable ;  and  the  only  way  the  peo- 
ple of  Atlanta  can  hope  once  more  to  live  in  peace  and  quiet  at  home,  is  to 
stop  this  war — which  can  alone  be  done  by  admitting  that  it  began  in  error, 
and  is  perpetuated  in  pride.  We  don't  want  your  negroes,  or  your  horses,  or 
your  houses,  or  your  land,  or  any  thing  you  have ;  but  we  do  want  and  will 
have  a  just  obedience  to  the  laws  of  the  United  States.  That  we  will 
have ;  and  if  it  involves  the  destruction  of  your  improvements,  we  cannot 
help  it.  You  have  heretofore  read  public  sentiment  in  your  newspapers, 
that  live  by  falsehood  and  excitement,  and  the  quicker  you  seek  for  truth 
in  other  quarters,  the  better  for  you. 

"  I  repeat,  then,  that  by  the  original  compact  of  government,  the  United 
States  had  certain  rights  in  Georgia,  which  have  never  been  relinquished, 
and  never  will  be ;  that  the  South  began  war  by  seizing  forts,  arsenals, 
mints,  custom-houses,  &c.,  &c.,  long  before  Mr.  Lincoln  was  installed,  and 
before  the  South  had  one  jot  or  tittle  of  provocation.  I  myself  have  seen 
in  Missouri,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  part  of  Mississippi,  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  women  and  children  fleeing  from  your  armies  and  despera- 
does, hungry  and  with  bleeding  feet.  In  Memphis,  Vicksburg,  and 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1061 

Mississippi,  we  fed  thousands  upon  thousands  of  the  families  of  rebel  sol- 
diers left  on  our  hands,  and  whom  we  could  not  see  starve.  Now  that  war 
comes  home  to  you,  you  feel  very  different ;  you  deprecate  its  horrors,  but 
did  not  feel  them  when  you  sent  car-loads  of  soldiers  and  ammunition,  and 
moulded  shell  and  shot,  to  carry  war  into  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  and 
desolate  the  homes  of  hundreds  and  thousands  of  good  people,  who  only 
ask  to  live  in  peace  at  their  old  homes,  and  under  the  Government  of  their 
inheritance.  But  these  comparisons  are  idle.  I  want  peace,  and  believe 
it  only  can  be  reached  through  Union  and  war,  and  I  will  ever  conduct  war 
purely  with  a  view  to  perfect  and  early  success. 

"  But,  my  dear  sirs,  when  that  peace  does  come,  you  may  call  on  me  for 
any  thing.  Then  I  will  share  with  you  the  last  cracker,  and  watch  with 
you  to  shield  your  homes  and  families  against  danger  from  every  quarter. 
Now,  you  must  go,  and  take  with  you  the  old  and  feeble ;  feed  and  nurse 
them,  and  build  for  them  in  more  quiet  places  proper  habitations  to  shield 
them  against  the  weather,  until  the  mad  passions  of  men  cool  down,  and 
allow  the  Union  and  peace  once  more  to  settle  on  your  old  homes  at 
Atlanta. 

"Tours,  in  haste,  "W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major- General." 

From  the  date  of  the  surrender  of  Atlanta,  up  to  the 
22d  of  September,  an  armistice  remained  in  force  between 
the  forces  under  Sherman  and  the  army  of  Hood.  This 
period  of  time  on  the  part  of  Sherman  was  occupied  in 
recruiting,  refitting,  and  reorganizing.  The  railroad  was 
employed  in  transporting  stores,  and  in  bringing  new  men 
to  fill  up  the  wasted  ranks  of  the  army,  the  trains  return- 
ing with  soldiers,  going  home  to  enjoy  for  a  brief  season 
their  well-earned  furloughs.  Bakeries  were  established  in 
all  the  camps  to  furnish  the  men  with  fresh  bread,  and 
they  were  supplied  as  rapidly  as  possible  with  new  cloth- 
ing and  equipments.  Meanwhile,  the  main  body  of  Hood's 
army  reposed  near  Jonesboro,  twenty  miles  south  of  At- 
lanta, while  his  cavalry,  under  Forrest  and  other  leaders, 
were  raiding  upon  Sherman's  communications  in  North- 
ern Alabama  and  Georgia  and  Southern  Tennessee.  To 
meet  these  movements,  General  Thomas  was  ordered  to 
Nashville  to  direct  operations  in  that  section,  a  small  force 
being  sent  at  the  same  time  by  General  Sherman  to 
Chattanooga.  On  the  20th  September  the  cavalry  of 
Forrest  crossed  the  Tennessee,  and,  having  destroyed  the 
railroad  between  Decatur  and  Athens,  appeared  before 
the  latter  place,  which  was  garrisoned  by  a  small  body  of 
colored  troops  under  Colonel  Campbell.  These  sur- 
rendered, together  with  portions  of  the  Nineteenth 
Michigan  and  One  Hundred  and  Second  Ohio,  which  had 
come  to  the  succor  of  the  garrison.  Forrest  then  moved 
upon  Sulphur  Branch  Trestle,  and,  having  captured  the 


1062  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

garrison,  attacked,  on  the  27th,  the  garrison  of  Pulaski, 
where  General  Rousseau  commanded.  On  the  29th  he 
cut  the'Nashville  Eailroad  near  Tullahoma,  but  was  soon 
driven  off  by  Rousseau.  At  the  same  time  General 
Steedman  collected  a  force  of  five  thousand  men  to  keep 
open  the  rail  communication  with  Chattanooga.  On  the 
26th,  Newton's  Division  of  the  Fourth  Corps,  Army  of 
the  Cumberland,  and  Morgan's  of  the  Fifteenth,  were 
ordered  from  Atlanta  to  Chattanooga  to  replace  Steed- 
man. General  Thomas,  by  order  of  Sherman,  accom- 
panied this  force  to  take  charge  of  affairs  in  Tennessee, 
and  reached  Nashville  October  3d.  General  Granger, 
commanding  the  Northern  District  of  Alabama,  was 
ordered  to  occupy  Athens  when  Forrest's  troops  with- 
drew, and  moved  off  with  his  command  in  two  columns 
towards  Columbia.  Morgan's  Division  occupied  Athens 
October  2d,  and  had  orders  to  move  upon  Bainbridge 
with  a  view  to  intercept  the  enemy,  while  Rousseau,  with 
four  thousand  cavalry,  was  to  press  his  rear  through 
Mount  Pleasant.  At  the  same  time,  as  General  Wash- 
burn,  with  four  thousand  five  hundred  men,  was  moving 
up  the  Tennessee  in  pursuit  of  Forrest,  orders  were  sent 
to  him  to  unite  his  cavalry  with  those  of  Rousseau  at 
Clifton.  The  enemy,  however,  escaped  across  the  Ten- 
nessee, and  Morgan  returned  to  Athens. 

Hood,  meanwhile,  had  kept  his  forces  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Jonesboro,  and  was  sufficiently  occupied  lor  the 
time  being  in  simply  watching  the  movements  of  his  ad- 
versary in  Atlanta.  To  allow  their  principal  Southern 
army  to  remain  inactive  was,  however,  no  part  of  the 
programme  of  the  rebel  leaders,  and  in  an  intemperate 
and  passionate  speech  delivered  at  Macon,  on  September , 
23d,  Jefferson  Davis  announced  that  Sherman  should  find 
Atlanta  but  another  Moscow,  and  that  his  retreat  to  the 
North  would  prove  even  more  disastrous  and  ignominious 
than  that  of  Napoleon  from  his  barren  Russian  conquests. 
These  remarks  foreshadowed  a  new  military  policy  in  the 
South,  of  which  the  principal  feature  was  to  be  the  com- 
mencement of  an  aggressive  campaign  upon  Sherman's 
communications  by  the  whole  rebel  army  under  Hood, 
very  much  after  the  fashion  of  Sherman's  final  and  suc- 
cessful movement  against  Atlanta.  In  aid  of  this  move- 
ment, Forrest,  by  far  the  ablest  cavalry  officer  in  the  rebel 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1063 

army,  was  already  operating  against  the  communications 
between  Chattanooga  and  Nashvillfe,  and  it  was  supposed 
that  if  the  railroad  between  Chattanooga  and  Atlanta 
could  be  well  broken  up  by  Hood,  Sherman,  cut  off  from 
his  primary  and  secondary  bases,  would  be  compelled  to 
retreat  into  Tennessee.  The  plan  had  the  merit  of  bold- 
ness, and,  had  it  been  intrusted  to  abler  hands  than  those 
of  Hood,  or  devised  against  a  less  skilful  general  than 
Sherman,  might  have  proved  successful.  It  will  be  seen 
that  Sherman  was  in  this  emergency  master  of  the  situa- 
tion, and  completely  outwitted  his  brave,  but  rash  and 
incapable,  antagonist. 

By  the  2d  of  October,  Hood's  army  was  across  the 
Chattahoochee,  and  moving  upon  Dallas,  whence  it  could 
threaten  Chattanooga  and  the  railroad,  and,  if  hard  push- 
ed, retreat  into  Southwestern  Alabama.  On  the  4th,  the 
rebels  reached  the  railroad  north  of  Marietta,  and  destroyed 
the  track  between  Big  Shanty  and  Acworth,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  5th  a  detachment  of  seven  thousand  men, 
under  General  French,  approached  the  fort  at  Allatoona 
Pass,  and  demanded  its  surrender.  By  this  time,  Sherman's 
troops,  with  the  exception  of  the  Twentieth  Corps,  left  to 
garrison  Atlanta,  were  also  across  the  Chattahoochee,  and 
moving  rapidly  upon  Hood.  The  latter,  however,  had 
the  start  by  at  least  two  days,  and  sought  to  avail  himself 
of  that  advantage  to  overwhelm  the  small  garrison  at  Al- 
latoona, the  capture  of  which  place  would  have  given  him 
immense  stores  and  an  almost  impregnable  position. 
Sherman  was  also  aware  of  the  importance  of  Allatoona, 
and  with  wise  foresight  had  on  the  previous  day  thrown 
into  the  place  a  re-enforcement  of  nine  hundred  men  un- 
der General  Corse,  drawn  from  the  garrison  of  Rome.  To 
French's  demand  for  a  surrender,  "  in  order  to  save  the 
unnecessary  effusion  of  blood,"  Corse  returned  the  curt 
.reply,  "  I  shall  not  surrender,  and  you  can  commence  the 
unnecessary  effusion  of  blood  whenever  you  please."  The 
attack  opened  at  eight  A.  M.,  and  was  maintained  with 
great  pertinacity  until  two  P.  M.,  when  the  enemy,  wearied 
and  completely  baffled,  retired,  with  a  loss  of  over  a  thou- 
sand men.  During  the  heat  of  the  contest,  Sherman 
arrived  on  the  summit  of  Kenesaw  Mountain  and  opened 
telegraphic  communication  with  the  garrison,  djfec-ting 
them  to  hold  out  resolutely,  as  succor  was  fast  approach- 


1064:  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

ing.  The  fresh  courage  which  this  assurance  gave  to  the 
beleaguered  troops  enabled  them,  doubtless,  to  maintain 
their  heroic  resistance. 

The  rebels  now  inarched  northward  along  the  railroad. 
North  of  Resaca  they  recommenced  to  destroy  the  track, 
and  continued  the  work  as  far  as  Tunnel  Hill,  a  distance 
of  twenty  miles,  capturing  on  the  14th  the  colored  garri- 
son at  Dalton.  Sherman  was  a  comparatively  quiet  but 
vigilant  spectator  of  these  operations,  and,  to  those  ignor- 
ant of  his  plans,  seemed  to  have  relaxed  from  the  energy 
of  movement  which  had  previously  characterized  him. 
"When  finally,  on  the  15tn,  he  marched  from  Resaca 
against  Hood,  compelling  the  latter  to  retire  in  a  south- 
westerly direction  towards  Lafayette,  his  movements  were 
unaccountably  slow.  The  rebel  army,  without,  apparent- 
ly, any  unusual  effort,  escaped  into  Northern  Alabama, 
whence  on  the  1st  of  November  it  inarched  for  Warren  ton, 
on  the  Tennessee  River,  Sherman  being  then  at  Gayles- 
ville,  Alabama,  near  the  Georgia  line.  The  object  of 
Sherman's  strategy  was  now  apparent.  Hood  had  been 
pushed  far  away  from  the  Chattahoochee  into  Northern 
Alabama,  and  tempted  into  another  invasion  of  Tennessee. 
His  raid  on  the  railroad  between  Chattanooga  and  Atlanta 
had  been  of  so  little  detriment  that  by  the  28th  of  October 
it  was  again  in  running  order,  and  Sherman,  having  got 
rid  of  a  troublesome  enemy  in  his  front,  was  now  prepared 
to  penetrate  with  a  large  force  into  the  heart  of  Georgia, 
and  march  for  the  coast,  with  the  almost  positive  certainty 
that  no  enemy  of  importance  could  oppose  him.  It  was 
necessary,  however,  to  provide  first  for  the  safety  of  Ten- 
nessee, thus  threatened  by  a  rebel  army,  and  for  that  rea- 
son Thomas  had  been  detached  to  Nashville.  The  Fourth 
Corps,  Stanley,  and  the  Twenty-third,  Schofield,  were  sent 
to  his  support,  giving  him,  with  the  troops  already  in 
Tennessee,  and  the  command  of  A.  J.  Smith,  then  on  the 
march  thither  from  Missouri,  an  ample  force  to  withstand 
Hood ;  and  he  was  directed  to  continue  to  entice  Hood 
northward  and  fight  him  in  the  neighborhood  of  Nash- 
ville, if  possible.  But  if  the  rebel  general  should  take  the 
alarm  and  follow  Sherman,  then  Thomas  was  to  follow 
Hood,  who,  placed  between  two  large  armies,  would  be 
in  no  enviable  position.  The  new  campaign  projected  by 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  1065 

Sherman  will  be  hereafter  related  ;  at  present  we  have  to 
do  exclusively  with  events  in  Tennessee. 

Upon  its  arrival  at  the  Tennessee,  the  array  of  Hood  was 
re-enforced  by  twelve  thousand  mounted  troops  under 
Forrest,  who,  on  his  way  thither  from  Corinth,  had  cap-  . 
tured  two  Union  transports  and  a-small  gunboat  at  Johns- 
ville,  an  important  depot  of  supplies.  With  needless 
precipitancy  the  garrison  destroyed  public  property  esti- 
mated to  be  worth  several  millions  of  dollars.  Hood  re- 
mained for  some  time  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  send- 
ing over  only  Lee's  Corps  with  some  cavalry,  and  it  was 
not  until  the  17th  of  November  that  he  removed  his  re- 
maining troops  across,  timing  his  advance  with  that  of 
Breckinridge,  who  was  operating  in  Eastern  Tennessee. 
On  the  19th  he  commenced  his  march  northward  from 
Florence  on  parallel  roads,  and  on  the  23d  a  portion  of  his 
force  took  possession  of  Pulaski.  Thomas  and  Schofield, 
who  were  directly  in  the  way  of  Hood's  march,  covering 
the  approaches  to  Nashville,  retreated  slowly  in  the  direc- 
tion of  .that  place.  The  whole  Union  force  was  not  yet 
concentrated,  and  Thomas  wisely  determined  to  fight  the 
decisive  battle  of  the  campaign  with  all  the  troops  hie 
department  could  furnish,  and  as  near  as  possible  to  his 
base.  On  the  26th,  the  enemy  occupied  Columbia,  Scho- 
field, who  commanded  the  Union  rear-guard,  retiring 
across  Duck  River  towards  Franklin,  twenty  miles  south 
of  Nashville,  where  he  arrived  on  the  30th.  Here  he 
formed  his  line  of  battle  on  the  southern  edge  of  the  town, 
to  await  the  coming  of  the  enemy,  and,  in  the  meanwhile, 
hastened  the  crossing  of  the  trains  to  the  north  side  of  the 
Harpeth  River. 

The  enemy  meantime  pressed  closely  upon  Schofield's 
rear-guard.  At  noon  of  November  30th,  the  main  body 
of  our  army,  consisting  of  the  Fourth  and  Twenty- third 
Corps,  and  the  detachments  which  had  been  collected  from 
various  points,  was  concentrated  at  Franklin.  At  that 
hour  several  bodies  of  Forrest's  Cavalry  were  discovered 
hovering  on  the  flanks,  and  reconnoitoring  the  position 
which  Schofield  had  taken  close  to  the  town.  Between 
three  and  four  p.  M.,  Hood  approached  rapidly,  and,  form- 
ing his  column  with  the  quickness  for  which  he  was 
famous,  hurled  them  at  once  against  the  centre  of  the  line, 
which  was  held  by  portions  of  the  two  corps  of  Stanley 
and  Schofield.  The  assaulting  columns  consisted  of  divi- 


1066  HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT  REBELLION. 

sions  belonging  to  the  corps  commanded  by  Generals 
Cheatharn  and  Stewart,  and  the  impetuosity  of  the  charge 
carried  these  troops  over  the  breastworks  and  into  the 
heart  of  Schofield's  position.  The  first  blow  fell  upon  the 
centre  of  the  line,  breaking  it  and  driving  the  defenders 
back  in  disorder.  Through  the  gap  thus  made  the  Con- 
federates swarmed  fiercely,  and  for  upwards  of  an  hour 
the  fight  raged  with  terrible  fury.  Hood's  troops  pressed 
vigorously  against  the  lines  of  Generals  "Wagner,  Huyer, 
and  Cox,  and,  driving  the  command  of  the  former  back 
from  their  breastworks,  threw  the  other  lines  into  wild, 
but,  fortunately,  temporary  confusion. 

By  the  first  charge  the  Confederates  obtained  possession 
of  the  first  line  of  defences,  and,  shortly  after  four  o'clock, 
they  advanced  against  the  second.  By  this  time  some  of 
the  reserves  were  brought  to  the  front,  which  enabled  Cox 
and  Wagner  to  re-form  their  broken  lines.  As  the  Con- 
federates moved  against  the  second  line  of  breastworks, 
they  were  met  and  checked  by  the  reserves  and  such  of 
the  other  troops  as  had  been  rallied.  Again  they  essayed 
to  charge,  but  were  again  checked  by  Cox,  Wagner,  and 
Opdyke,  the  latter  commanding  a  reserve  brigade  of  Stan- 
ley's Corps.  When  order  was  fully  restored  at  the  second 
line  and  the  troops  rallied  to  the  front,  a  charge  was  or- 
dered to  expel  the  Confederates  from  the  line  which  they 
had  captured.  In  the  mean  tune,  however,  Hood  made 
several  successive  attempts  to  follow  up  the  advantage 
gained  by  the  first  assault,  but  without  success. 

About  five  P.  M.  the  greatest  struggle  took  place.  When 
Cox  and  Stanley  attempted  to  drive  back  the  enemy,  they 
met  the  most  stubborn  resistance.  The  men  on  both  sides 
were  within  arm's  length  of  each  other,  fighting  like  de- 
mons with  the  bayonet  and  with  clubbed  muskets.  At 
the  same  time  batteries  were  pouring  storms  of  shot  and 
shell  into  the  enemy's  ranks,  but  this  was  almost  unheeded. 
Finally,  when  it  was  too  dark  to  continue  the  battle,  and 
when  Hood  found  that  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  all  that 
he  desired,  he  retired  from  the  line  captured  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  action. 

The  Federal  loss  was  about  fifteen  hundred.  The  loss 
of  the  enemy  amounted  to  six  thousand  two  hundred  and 
fifty,  viz. :  buried  upon  the  field,  one  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty ;  disabled  and  placed  in  hospital  at  Franklin, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT   REBELLION.  1067 

three  thousand  eight  hundred,  and  seven  hundred  prison- 
ers. Among  their  casualties  were  six  general  officers 
killed,  six  wounded,  and  one  captured.  This  repulse  of 
the  enemy  gave  Schofield  time  to  remove  his  troops  and 
trains  to  Nashville,  where  on  the  same  day  arrived  the 
advance  of  A.  J.  Smith's  army  from  St.  Louis  by  trans- 
ports, and  also  General  Steedman,  with  a  command  num- 
bering five  thousand  men,  composed  of  detachments  be- 
longing to  Sherman's  column,  left  behind  at  Chattanooga, 
and  also  a  brigade  of  colored  troops. 

Hood  followed  closely  upon  the  retiring  troops  of  Scho- 
field, and  by  noon  of  the  1st  of  December  the  Union  line 
of  battle  was  formed  on  the  heights  immediately  surround- 
ing Nashville,  with  A.  J.  Smith's  command  occupying 
the  right,  his  right  resting  on  the  Cumberland  River,  be- 
low the  city ;  the  Fourth  Corps  (Brigadier-General  Wood 
temporarily  in  command)  in  the  centre ;  and  General 
Schofield's  troops  (Twenty-third  Army  Corps)  on  the  left, 
extendingto  the  Nolensville  pike.  The  cavalry  under 
General  Wilson  was  directed  to  take  post  on  the  left  of 
General  Schofield,  which  would  make  secure  the  interval 
between  his  left  and  the  river  above  the  city.  Steedman's 
troops  took  up  a  position  about  a  mile  in  advance  of  the 
left  centre  of  the  main  line,  and  on  the  left  of  the  Nolens- 
ville  pike.  This  position,  being  regarded  as  too  much  ex- 
posed, was  changed  on  the  3d,  when,  the  cavalry  having 
been  directed  to  take  post^on  the  north  side  of  the  river 
at  Edgefield,  General  Steeclman  occupied  the  space  on  the 
left  of  the  line  vacated  by  its  withdrawal: 

On  the  4th  the  enemy  established  his  line  with  his 
salient  on  the  summit  of  Montgomery  Hill,  within  six 
hundred  yards  of  our  centre,  his  main  line  occupying  the 
high  ground  on  the  southeast  side  of  Brown's  Creek, 
and  extending  from  the  Nolensville  pike — his  extreme 
right — across  the  Franklin  and  Granny  White's  pikes  in  a 
westerly  direction  to  the  hills  south  and  southwest  of 
Eichland  Creek,  and  down  that  creek  to  the  Hillsboro 
pike,  with  cavalry  extending  from  both  his  flanks  to  the 
river.  Artillery  was  opened  on  him  from  several  points  on 
the  line,  without  eliciting  any  response. 

Hood  seemed  to  have  learned  nothing  from  his  mistake 
at  Atlanta,  whence  he  sent  Wheeler's  Cavalry  to  operate 
upon  Sherman's  rear,  at  the  very  moment  he  most  wanted 


1068  HISTOEY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

them  to  protect  his  own  flanks,  thus  enabling  Sherman  to 
surprise  his  lines  at  Jonesboro.  This  same  mistake  he 
now  repeated.  At  the  moment  Thomas  was  preparing 
to  move  against  him,  and  was  only  waiting  a  remount  of 
cavalry,  Hood  sent  Forrest  and  Bates  to  support  a  column 
of  Cleburne's  old  troops,  in  an  attack  upon  Murfreesboro, 
held  by  Rousseau,  who  was  prepared  for  them.  The 
block-house,  five  miles  north  of  Murfreesboro,  was  at- 
tacked by  Bates's  Division  of  Cheatham's  Corps  on  the 
4th,  but  held,  out  until  three  regiments  of  infantry,  four 
companies  of  the  Thirteenth  Indiana  Cavalry,  and  a  sec- 
tion of  artillery,  under  command  of  General  Milroy,  came  • 
up  from  Murfreesboro,  attacked  the  enemy,  and  drove 
him  off.  During  the  5th,  6th,  and  7th,  Bates's  Division, 
re-enforced  by  a  division  from  Lee's  Corps,  and  twc 
thousand  five  hundred  of  Forrest's  Cavalry,  demonstrated 
heavily  against  Fortress  Rosecrans,  at  Murfreesboro,  gar- 
risoned by  a  considerable  force,  under  command  of  Gen 
eral  Rousseau.  The  enemy  showing  an  unwillingness  t( 
make  a  direct  assault,  Milroy,  with  seven  regiments  of 
infantry,  was  sent  out  on  the  8th  to  engage  him.  He  was 
found  a  short  distance  from  the  place  on  the  Wilkersor 
pike,  posted  behind  rail  breastworks,  was  attacked  anc 
routed,  our  troops  capturing  two  hundred  and  seven  pris 
oners  and  two  guns,  with  a  loss  of  thirty  killed  and  om 
hundred  and  seventy-five  wounded.  On  the  same  daj 
Buford's  Cavalry  entered  the  town  of  Murfreesboro,  aftei 
having  shelled  it  vigorously,  but  he  was  epeedily  driver 
Dut  by  a  regiment  of  infantry  and  a  section  of  artillery. 

On  retiring  from  before  Murfreesboro  the  enemy's 
cavalry  moved  northward  to  Lebanon  and  along  the  bank 
of  the  Cumberland  in  that  vicinity,  threatening  to  cross 
to  the  north  side  of  the  river  and  interrupt  our  railroad 
communication  with  Louisville,  at  that  time  our  only 
source  of  supplies,  the  enemy  having  blockaded  the  river 
below  Nashville  by  batteries  along  the  shore.  The  Navy 
Department  was  requested  to  patrol  the  Cumberland 
above  and  below  Nashville  with  the  gunboats  then  in  the 
river,  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  crossing,  which  was 
cordially  and  effectually  complied  with  by  Lieutenant- 
Commander  Le  Roy  Fitch,  commanding  Eleventh  Divi- 
sion Mississippi  squadron.  At  the  same  time  General 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1069 

"Wilson  sent  a  cavalry  force  to  Gallatin  to  guard  the 
country  in  that  vicinity. 

Meantime,  Hood's  main  army  occupied  the  position 
before  Nashville,  with  little  change  up  to  the  15th,  both 
armies  having  been  ice-bound  for  the  last  week  of  that 
time.  Thomas  employed  the  interval  in  remounting  his 
cavalry  and  accumulating  transportation.  Being  pre- 
pared at  length  to  move,  he  called  a  meeting  of  the  corps 
commanders  on  the  afternoon  of  December  14th,  and, 
having  discussed  the  plan  of 'attack  until  it  was  thorough- 
ly understood,  he  issued  the  following  special  field  order: 

"  As  soon  as  the  state  of  the  weather  will  admit  of  offensive  operations 
the  troops  will  move  against  the  enemy's  position  in  the  following  order : 

"  Major-General  A.  J.  Smith,  commanding  detachment  of  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee,  after  forming  his  troops  on  arid  near  the  Harding  pike,  in 
front  of  his  present  position,  will  make  a  vigorous  assault  on  the  enemy'a 
left. 

"  Major-General  Wilson,  commanding  the  cavalry  corps,  Military  Divi- 
sion of  Mississippi,  with  three  divisions,  will  move  on  and  support  General 
Smith's  right,  assisting  as  far  as  possible  in  carrying  the  left  of  the  enemy'! 
position,  and  be  in  readiness  to  throw  his  force  upon  the  enemy  the  moment 
a  favorable  opportunity  occurs.  Major-General  Wilson  will  also  send  one 
division  on  the  Charlottee  pike  to  clear  that  road  of  the  enemy,  and  observe 
in  the  direction  of  Bell's  Landing  to  protect  our  right  rear  until  the  enemy'i 
position  is  fairly  turned,  when  it  will  rejoin  the  main  force. 

"  Brigadier-General  T.  J.  Wood,  commanding  Fourth  Army  Corps,  aftei 
leaving  a  strong  skirmish  line  in  his  works  from  Lauren's  Hill  to  his 
extreme  right,  will  form  the  remainder  of  the  Fourth  Corps  on  the  Hills- 
boro  pike  to  support  General  Smith's  left,  and  operate  on  the  left  and  real 
of  the  enemy's  advanced  position  on  the  Montgomery  Hill. 

"  Major-General  Schofield,  commanding  Twenty-third  Army  Corps,  will 
replace  Brigadier-General  Kimball's  Division  of  the  Fourtu  Corps,  with  his 
troops,  and  occupy  the  trenches  from  Fort  Negley  to  Lauren's  Hill  with  s> 
strong  skirmish*  line.  He  will  move  with  the  remainder  of  his  force  ii 
front  of  the  works  and  co-operate  with  General  Wood,  protecting  the 
latter's  left  flank  against  an  attack  by  the  enemy. 

"Major-General  Steedman,  commanding  District  of  the  Etowah,  wil 
occupy  the  interior  line  in  rear  of  his  present  position,  stretching  from  the 
Reservoir  on  the  Cumberland  River  to  Fort  Negley.  with  a  strong  skirmish 
line,  and  mass  the  remainder  of  his  force  in  its  present  position,  to  act  ac- 
cording to  the  exigencies  which  may  arise  during  these  operations. 

"  Brigadier-General  Miller,  with  his  troops  forming  the  garrison  of  Nash- 
ville, will  occupy  the  exterior  line  from  the  battery  on  hill  210  to  the 
extreme  right,  including  the  enclosed  work  on  the  Hyde's  Ferry  road. 

"  The  quartermaster's  troops,  under  command  of  Brigadier-General 
Donaldson,  will,  if  necessary,  be  posted  on  the  interior  line  from  Fort  Mor- 
ton to  the  battery  on  hill  210. 

"  The  troops  occupying  the  interior  line  will  be  under  the  direction  of 
Major-General  Stecdrnan,  who  is  charged  with  the  immediate  defence  of 
Nashville  during  the  operations  around  the  city. 

"  Should  the  weather  permit,  the  troops  will  be  formed  to  commence 
operations,  at  6  A.  M.  on  the  15th,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  practicable." 


1070  HISTOET  OF   THE   GEEAT    EEBELLION. 

The  enemy's  line  was  formed  with  Cheatham  on  the 
left,  Stewart  in  the  centre,  and  S.  D.  Lee  on  the  right. 
His  most  advanced  position,  from  which  he  annoyed  our 
lines,  was  a  commanding  eminence  on  the  Granny  White 
pike.  On  the  crest  of  this  stood  the  house  of  a  Mrs.  Mont- 
gomery. On  the  morning  of  the  15th  December,  the 
weather  being  favorable,  the  Union  army  was  formed 
and  ready  at  an  early  hour  to  carry  out  the  plan  of 
battle.  The  formation  of  the  troops  was  partially  con- 
cealed from  the  enemy  by  the  broken  nature  of  the 
ground,  as  also  by  a  dense  fog,  which  only  lifted  towards 
noon.  The  enemy,  was  apparently  totally  unaware  of 
any  intention  on  our  part  to  attack  his  position,  and  more 
especially  did  lie  seem  not  to  expect  any  movement 
against  his  left  flank.  To  diver  this  attention  still  fur- 
ther from  our  real  intentions,  Steedman  had  orders  to 
demonstrate  on  the  enemy's  right".  As  soon  as  the 
enemy's  attention  was  attracted  in  that  direction,  Smith 
and  Wilson  moved  out  on  the  Harding  pike,  and,  wheel- 
ing to  the  left,  advanced  against  his  position  across  the 
Harding  and  Hillsboro  pikes.  Johnson's  Division  of 
Cavalry  at  the  same  time  was  sent  eight  miles  below 
Nashville  to  attack  a  battery  of  the  enemy  at  Bell's 
Landing.  The  remainder  of  Wilson's  command,  Hatch's 
Division  leading,  and  Knipe  in  reserve,  moving  on  the 
right  of  A.  J.  Smith's  troops,  first  struck  the  enemy  along 
Richmond  Creek,  near  Harding's  house,  and  drove  him 
back  rapidly,  .capturing  a  number -of  prisoners,  wagons, 
&c.,  and,  continuing  to  advance,  while  slightly  swinging 
to  the  left,  came  upon  a  redoubt  containing  four  guns, 
which  was  splendidly  carried  by  assault  at  one  p.  M.  by 
a  portion  of  Hatch's  Division,  dismounted,  and  the 
captured  guns  turned  upon  the  enemy.  A  second  re- 
doubt, stronger  than  the  first,  was  next  assailed  and 
carried  by  the  same  troops  that  captured  the  first  posi- 
tion, taking  four  more  guns  and  about  three  hundred 
prisoners. 

General  Thomas,  finding  that  Smith  had  not  taken 
sufficient  distance  to  the  right,  directed  Schofield  to  move 
his  command  (the  Twenty-third  Corps)  from  the  position 
in  reserve  to  which  it  had  been  assigned  over  to  the  right 
of  Smith,  enabling  the  cavalry  thereby  to  operate  more 
freely  in  the  enemy's  rear.  The  Fourth  Corps,  Wood 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GKEAT  KEBELLION.  1071 

commanding,  formed  on  the  left  of  Smith's  command, 
and  as  soon  as  the  latter  had  struck  the  enemy's  flank, 
moved  against  Montgomery  Hill,  Hood's  most  advanced 
position,  at  1  p.  M.  The  attack  was  gallantly  made,  and, 
after  a  brief  resistance,  the  rebels  abandoned  their  works, 
leaving  the  crest  of  the  hill  in  the  hands  of  the  Union 
troops. 

Connecting  with  Garrard's  Division,  which  formed  the 
left  of  Smith's  troops,  the  Fourth  Corps  continued  to  ad- 
vance. The  First  and  Second  Brigades  of  Beatty's  Di- 
vision occupied  the  left,  formed  in  single  line,  while 
E.imball's  and  Elliot's  Divisions  were  formed  into  column 
by  brigade.  The  advance  of  this  long  line  of  battle  was 
very  fine.  In  their  front  lay  a  long  slope  of  open  coun- 
try bounded  by  belts  of  wood.  An  increasing  slope  ran 
to  the  woods  now  occupied  by  the  rebels.  Over  this  the 
line  moved  in  one  steady,  imposing  column.  The  crest 
of  the  hill  in  front  partly  sheltered  it  from  the  enemy's 
artillery.  A  dense  volume  of  smoke  rose  from  the  valley, 
shrouding  the  hills  and  rebel  lines  in  our  front.  The 
roar  of  the  rebel  artillery  was  becoming  fainter,  while  the 
sound  of  our  guns  rang  nearer  and  nearer.  The  Fourth 
Corps  for  a  moment  halted  and  lay  down  to  enable 
Smith  to  connect,  when  suddenly  the  enemy  could  be 
seen  breaking  pell-mell  from  their  works,  while  infantry, 
cavalry,  and  artillery  were  sweeping  across  the  plain.  A 
wild  cheer  rang  from  our  lines,  and  the  batteries  re- 
doubled their  iron  storm.  Soon  a  column  was  seen 
emerging  from  the  woods  on  the  rebel  flanks,  the  stars 
and  stripes  floating  proudly  in  their  front.  This  was  our 
right,  which  had  swung  around  their  flank.  The  air  re- 
sounded with  cheers  as  the  Fourth  Corps  jumped  to  their 
feet  and  pressed  forward  after  the  flying  enemy,  until  the 
shades  of  night  put  an  end  to  the  combat. 

At  the  close  of  the  day  the  enemy  had  been  driven  out 
of  his  original  line  of  works,  and  forced  back  to  a  new 
position  along  the  base  of  Harpeth  Hills,  still  holding  his 
line  of  retreat  to  Franklin  by  the  main  pike  through 
Brentwood  and  by  the  Granny  "White  pike.  Our  line  at 
nightfall  was  readjusted,  running  parallel  to  and  east  of 
the  Hillsboro  pike — Schofield's  command  on  the  right, 
Smith's  in  the  centre,  and  Wood's  on  the  left,  with  the 
cavalry  on  the  right  of  Schofield ;  Steedman  holding  the 


1072  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

position  he  had  gained  early  in  the  morning.  The  total 
result  of  the  day's  operations  was  the  capture  of  sixteen 
pieces  of  artillery  and  twelve  hundred  prisoners,  besides 
several  hundred  stands  of  small-arms,  and  u'uout  forty 
wagons.  The  enemy  had  been  forced  back  ;  r  nil  point's 
with  heavy  loss,  and  our  casualties  were  unusually  light. 
The  whole  command  bivouacked  in  line  of  b;.;tle  during 
the  night  on  the  ground  occupied  at  dark,  while  prepara- 
tions were  made  to  renew  the  Battle  at  an  early  hour  on 
the  morrow. 

Between  the  Granny  White  and  Franklin  pikes  is  a 
kind  of  plateau,  sloping  towards  the  range  of  bluffs  which 
seem  to  be  bounded  by  Little  Harper  and  Mill  Creeks. 
Fine  residences  and  well -cultivated  plantations  cover  the 
landscape  back  to  Nashville.  Here  the  city  M  as  shut  out 
from  view  by  the  hills,  crowned  with  forts  and  bat- 
teries, their  sides  dotted  over  with  white  tents,  and  the 
dark  forms  of  citizens  crowding  to  see  the  b;itlle,  or  at 
least  hear  its  din.  Behind  these  rose  the  houses  and 
steeples  of  the  city.  The  cupola  of  the  capitol  was 
crowded  with  anxious  spectators. 

At  six  A.  M.,  on  the  16th,  Wood's  Corps  pressed  back 
the  enemy's  skirmishes  across  the  Franklin  pike  to  the 
eastward  of  it,  and  then,  swinging  slightly  to  the  right, 
advanced  due  south  from  Nashville,  driving  the  enemy 
before  him  until  he  came  upon  his  new  main  line  of 
works,  constructed  Muring  the  night,  on  what  is  called 
Overton's  Hill,  about  five  miles  south  of  the  city,  and 
east  of  the  Franklin  pike.  Steedman  moved  outjft-om 
Nashville  by  the  Nolensville  pike,  and  formed  his  com- 
mand on  the  left  of  Wood,  effectually  securing  the  latter's 
left  flank,  and  made  preparations  to  co-operate  in  the 
operations  of  the  day.  Smith's  command  moved  on  the 
right  of  the  Fourth  Corps  (Wood's),  and  establishing  con- 
nection with  Wood's  right,  completed  the  new  line  of  bat- 
tle. Schofield's  troops  remained  in  the  position  taken  up 
by  them  at  dark  on  the  day  previous,  facing  eastward  and 
towards  the  enemy's  left  flank,  the  line  of  the  corps  run- 
ning perpendicular  to  Smith's  troops.  Wilson's  Cavalry, 
whicn  had  rested  for  the  night  at  the  six-mile  post  on  the 
Hillsboro  pike,  was  dismounted  and  formed  on  the  right 
of  Schofield's  command,  and  by  noon  of  the  IGth  had 
succeeded  in  gaining  the  enemy's  rear,  and  stretched 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1073 

across  the  Granny  "White  pike,  one  of  his  two  outlets  to- 
wards Franklin. 

As  soon  as  the  above  dispositions  were  completed, 
Thomas,  having  visited  the  different  commands,  gave  di- 
rections that  tke  movement  against  the  enemy's  left  flank 
should  be  continued.  Our  entire  line  approached  to  with- 
in six  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy's  at  all  points.  His 
centre  was  weak  as  compared  with  either  his  right,  at 
Overton's  Hill,  or  his  left,  on  the  hills  bordering  the 
Granny  White  pike ;  still  there  were  hopes  of  gaining  his 
rear  and  cutting  oif  his  retreat  from  Franklin. 

In  front  of  the  rebel  lines,  commanding  the  Franklin 
pike,  was  a  strong  fort,  occupying  the  crest  of  the  hill, 
with  strongly  intrenched  works  all  round,  and  slashed 
trees  in  front.  This  hill  is  the  first  important  one  of  the 
Overton  range — the  extreme  western  spur  of  the  Cumber- 
land range  of  mountains — and  is  about  one  mile  in  front 
of  Thompson's  house,  where  S.  D.  Lee  had  his  head-quar- 
ters, and  about  five  miles  from  Nashville.  From  this 
position  the  rebels  not  only  checked  the  advance  of 
Beatty's  Division,  but  also  commanded  a  salient  fire  on 
our  advancing  columns. 

About  three  P.  M.,  Post's  Brigade  of  "Wood's  Corps, 
supported  by  Streight's  Brigade  of  the  same  command, 
was  ordered  by  General  Wood  to  assault  that  position. 
This  intention  was  communicated  to  Steedman,  who  or- 
dered the  brigade  of  colored  troops,  commanded  by 
Colonel  Morgan,  to  co-operate  in  the  movement.  The 
ground  on  which  the  two  assaulting  columns  formed  be- 
ing open  and  exposed  to  the  enemy^s  view,  he,  readily  per- 
ceiving our  intention,  drew  re-enforcements  from  his  left 
and  centre  to  the  threatened  point.  This  movement  of 
troops  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  was  communicated  along 
the  line  from  left  to  right.  At  this  time  a  gentle  rain  was 
falling ;  not  a  breeze  was  stirring,  and  the  calm  was 
ominous.  As  the  troops  began  to  move,  our  batteries 
opened.  As  they  rose  the  slope  the  enemy  received  them 
with  a  tremendous  fire  of  grape,  canister,  and  musketry, 
our  men  moving  steadily  onward  up  the  hill  until  near 
the  crest,  when  the  reserves  of  the  enemy  rose  and  poured 
into  the  assaulting  column  a  most  destructive  fire. 

Unfortunately,  at  this  moment  the  lines  that  were 
joined  below  lapped,  and  the  negro  troops  became  min- 

66 


1074:  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

gled  with  the  left  of  Post's  Brigade,  creating  disorder. 
The  slaughter  of  our  troops  here  was  awful.  Post,  far 
ahead  of  the  line,  was  waving  his  sword  and  calling  his 
men  to  follow,  when  a  discharge  of  grape  and  canister 
from  the  rebel  battery  mortally  wounded  Jjim.  Our  line 
was  at  this  time  within  twenty  steps  of  the  works.  The 
rebels  rose  from  their  works  and  poured  in  another  ter- 
rific volley  that  seriously  staggered  the  line,  causing  the 
men  first  to  waver  and  then  to  fall  back,  leaving  their 
dead  and  wounded — black  and  white  indiscriminately 
mingled — lying  amid  the  abatis.  General  Wood  readily 
re-formed  his  command  in  the  position  it  had  previously 
occupied,  preparatory  to  a  renewal  of  the  assault. 

Meanwhile,  at  four  p.  M.,  Schofield  and  Smith  scaled 
the  bald  hill  in  their  front,  where  were  captured  eight 
guns,  and  the  enemy's  line  was  broken.  Schofield,  who 
had  kept  Cox's  Division  of  his  corps  up  to  this  hour 
rather  in  reserve,  now  swung  him  rapidly  around  at  a 
charge.  Two  batteries  were  encountered,  but  the  enemy, 
finding  his  line  broken  to  his  right,  only  opened  one  to 
cover  the  retreat  of  the  other.  As  though  the  obstacle 
were  one  of  no  consequence  at  all,  Cox  pushed  vigorously 
forward,  captured  the  battery  playing  on  him,  and  fol- 
lowed rapidly  in  pursuit  of  the  other,  capturing  it  also, 
and  with  it  several  hundred  prisoners.  Simultaneous 
with  the  advance  of  Cox,  Wilson's  Cavalry  dismounted 
and  attacked  the  enemy,  striking  him  in  reverse,  getting 
firm  possession  of  the  Granny  White  pike,  and  cutting 
off  his  retreat  by  that  route.  On  the  ridge  he  met  witn 
very  stubborn  resistance,  but  drove  the  enemy  at  every 
point.  East  of  the  ridge  the  enemy  fought  with  little 
energy,  but  allowed  their  left  to  be  enveloped  with  com- 
parative ease. 

Wood's  and  Steedman's  troops,  hearing  the  shouts  of 
victory  coming  from  the  right,  now  renewed  the  assault 
upon  Overton  Hill  with  great  impetuosity,  and  in  face 
of  a  terrible  fire  carried  the  position,  capturing  nine 
pieces  of  artillery  and  many  prisoners.  The  enemy  re- 
tired through  the  Brentwood  Pass.  The  cavalry  and  a 
portion  of  the  Fourth  Corps  overtook  the  rebel  rear-guard 
posted  across  the  road  behind  barricades  near  Chalmers. 
This  was  defeated,  and  the  rebel  General  Rucker  captured. 
The  captures  during  the  two  days  embraced  four  thou- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  KEBELLION.  1075 

sand  four  hundred  and  sixty-two  prisoners,  including  two 
hundred  and  eighty;seven  officers,  fifty-three  pieces  of 
artillery,  and  many  small-arms,  and  the  enemy  also  lost 
three  thousand  killed  and  wmmded.  The  total  Union 
loss  did  not  exceed  three  thousand. 

At  daylight  on  the  17th,  the  Fourth  Corps  continued 
the  pursuit  towards  Franklin  by  the  direct  route,  while 
the  cavalry  moved  on  the  Granny  White  pike  and  its  in- 
tersection with  the  Franklin  Dike,  and  took  the  lead. 
•The  enerny  fell  back  to  the  Harpeth  River.  His  rear- 
guard posted  at  Hollow  Tree  Gap,  four  miles  north  of 
Franklin,  was  defeated  with  the  loss  of  four  hundred  and 
twenty  prisoners.  An  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  defend 
the  crossing  or  the  Harpeth  River  at  Franklin  was  de- 
feated by  Johnson's  Division,  which  had  been  sent  by 
Wilson  on  the  Hillsboro  pike  direct  to  Harpeth  River. 
Wilson  now  pressed  the  pursuit  to  Columbia,  the  enemy 
retiring  before  him  slowly  to  a  point  five  miles  south  of 
Franklin.  There  an  attempt  to  make  a  stand  was  de- 
feated, and  the  retreat  was  continued.  On  the  night  of 
the  19th,  the  enemy  crossed  the  Duck  River  and  removed 
the  bridge.  The  swollen  stream  caused  a  delay  of  a  day. 
General  Thomas  in  his  report  states :  "  The  pontoon  train 
coining  up  to  Rutherford's  Creek  about  noon  of  the  21st, 
a  bridge  was  laid  during  the  afternoon,  and  General 
Smith's  troops  were  enabled  to  cross.  The  weather  had 
changed  from  dismal  rain  to  bitter  cold,  very  materially 
retarding  the  work  in  laying  the  bridge,  as  the  regiment 
of  colored  troops,  to  whom  the  duty  was  intrusted,  seem- 
ed unmanned  by  the  cold,  and  totally  unequal  to  the  oc- 
casion." Wilson's  Cavalry  and  Wood's  Infantry  pressed 
the  pursuit.  Forrest's  Cavalry,  which  Hood  had  so  fool- 
ishly detached  from  his  main  army  while  he  was  besieg- 
ing Nashville,  rejoined  him  at  Columbia,  and  a  slrong 
rear-guard  was  formed,  which  did  good  service  in  cover- 
ing the  retreat.  On  the  24th,  Wilson  overtook  the  enemy 
at  Buford's  Station,  inflicting  some  punishment ;  and  on 
the  25th  the  enemy  evacuated  Pulaski.  At  Lamb's  Ferry 
he  made  a  stand,  and,  as  the  pursuing  force  under  Colonel 
Harrison  came  up,  charged,  drove  him  back,  and  captured 
a  gun.  The  Fourth  Corps  was  within  six  miles  of  Pulaski . 
December  26th,  and  reached  Lexington  on  the  28th.  The 


1076  HISTORY   OF  THE   GKEAT   REBELLION. 

enemy  being  now  across  the  Tennessee,  General  Thomas 
ceased  the  pursnit. 

On  the  30th  December,  the  end  o'f  the  campaign  was 
announced  to  the  army,  and  the  following  disposition  was 
made  of  the  command:  Smith's  Corps  to  take  post  at 
Eastport,  Mississippi ;  "Wood's  Corps  to  be  concentrated 
at  Huntsville  and  Athens,  Alabama ;  Schofield's  Corps 
to  proceed  to  Dalton,  Georgia ;  and  Wilson's  Cavalry, 
after  sending  one  division  to  Eastport,  Mississippi,  to  con- 
centrate the  balance  at  or  near  Huntsville.  On  reaching 
the  several  positions  assigned  to  them,  the  different  com- 
mands were  to  go  into  winter-quarters  and  recuperate  for 
the  spring  campaign.  These  dispositions  not  meeting  the 
views  of  the  general-in-chief,  orders  were  issued  on  the 
31st  of  December  for  Generals  Schofield,  Smith,  and  Wil- 
son to  concentrate  their  commands  at  Eastport,  Missis- 
sippi, and  that  of  General  Wood  at  Huntsville.  Alabama 
preparatory  to  a  renewal  of  the  campaign  against  the 
enemy  in  Mississippi  and  Alabama. 

A  number  of  mjnor  operations  by  cavalry  occurred  in 
the  pursuit  of  Hood's  army.  The  results  of  the  opera- 
tions under  Thomas  were :  thirteen  thousand  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-nine  prisoners  of  war,  including  general 
officers  and  nearly  one  thousand  other  officers  of  all 
grades,  and  seventy-two  pieces  of  serviceable  artillery. 
During  the  same  period  over  two  thousand  deserters  from 
the  enemy  were  received,  and  to  whom  the  oath  was  ad- 
ministered. Our  own  losses  did  not  exceed  ten  thousand 
in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing. 

Thus  ended  the  career  of  Hood  as  an  active  com- 
mander in  the  field.  Receiving  from  Johnston  a  compact 
and  unbroken  army,  which  had  made  a  good  fight  against 
the  superior  forces  of  Sherman,  he  wasted  its  numbers 
in  three  foolhardy  attempts  to  defeat  his  wary  opponent 
in  a  pitched  battle,  and  finally,  in  consequence  of  sending 
away  his  cavalry,  the  only  arm  in  which  he  was  superior 
to  Sherman,  he  enabled  the  latter  to  completely  flank  him 
and  drive  him  out  of  Atlanta.  Dispatched  by  Davis  on 
a  hazardous  attempt  to  drive  Sherman  out  of  Georgia 
and  regain  Tennessee,  he  permitted  himself  to  be  enticed 
by  Thomas  into  the  neighborhood  of  Nashville,  when 
that  general,  abundantly  re-enforced  and  supplied,  sallied 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION.  1077 

forth  at  his  leisure  and  dealt  the  rebel  army  such  a  blow 
as  drove  it,  a  beaten  and  demoralized  mass  of  fugitives, 
into  Northern  Alabama,  and  rendered  it  powerless  for 
further  offensive  purposes. 


1078  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 


CHAPTER    LXYII. 

Sheridan  in  Command  of  the  Middle  Military  Division. — Manoeuvring  in 
the  Valley. — Object  of  the  Movements. — Battles  of  Opequan  Creek 
and  Fisher's  Hill. — Rout  and  Retreat  of  the  Rebels. — Their  new 
Position  at  Brown's  Gap. — Movements  of  Sheridan. 

ON  August  jTth,  General  Sheridan  assumed  command 
of  the  Middle'  Military  Division,  comprising  the  Middle 
Department,  and  the  Departments  of  Washington,  the 
Susquehanna,  and  "West  Virginia.  On  the  same  day  he 
fixed  his  head-quarters  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  at  once 
commenced  to  concentrate  his  troops  along  the  Potomac 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Shenandoah.  Valley.  Sheridan's 
troops  consisted  now  chiefly  of  the  Sixth,  Eighth,  and  Nine- 
teenth Corps  of  Infantry,  and  the  infantry  of  the  old  Army 
of  the  Kanawha,  under  Crook.  A  part  of  the  Nineteenth 
Corps,  however,  was  still  in  Louisiana.  His  cavalry  com- 
prised Torbert's  First  Division,  of  Potomac  Cavalry, 
Averill's  Division,  Kelly's  command,  and  Lowell's  Brig- 
ade. Wilson's  Second  Cavalry  Division  arrived  on  the 
13th  from  City  Point.  Against  this  strong  and  compact 
army,  General  Early  was  now  able  to  muster  about 
eighteen  thousand  men.  His  army  consisted,  first,  of  two 
infantry  corps,  under.  Rhodes  and  Breekinridge.  Rhodes 
had  his  own  old  division  and  Ramseur's,  and  various  re- 
serves in  the  Valley,  the  whole  estimated  at  about  seven 
thousand  men.  Ramseur's  Division  comprised  the  brig- 
ades of  Lillie  (formerly  of  Pegram),  Evans,  and  John-son. 
Breckinridge  had  the  divisions  of  Wharton  and  Gordon, 
four  thousand  five  hundred  or  five  thousand  strong,  the 
former  having  two  brigades,  and  the  latter  (like  Rhodes's 
old  division)  consisting  of  four.  Ransom's  Cavalry  con^ 
sisted  of  about  five  thousand  five  hundred  troops,  divided 
into  four  brigades,  under  Imboden,  McCausland,  Jackson, 
and  Vaughan.  The  artillery,  under  Long,  consisted  of 
three  battalions,  and  not  far  from  fifty  guns.  The  men 
were,  to  a  considerable  extent,  employed  threshing  wheat 
in  the  Valley  and  sending  it  to  Richmond. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1079 

At  sunrise  on  "Wednesday  morning,  the  10th  of  August, 
Sheridan  began  to  move  out  his  forces  from  Hall  town, 
for  the  repossession  of  the  Valley.  The  force  reached 
Charlestown  in  two  hours,  where  the  Nineteenth  Corps 
struck  oft'  to  the  left  for  Berry  ville,  preceded  by  the 
cavalry  brigades  of  Ouster  and  Gibbs.  Still  farther  to 
the  left  marched  Crook's  Infantry,  with  mounted  men  in 
advance.  Finally,  on  the  right,  the  Sixth  Corps,  pre- 
ceded by  the  brigades  of  Devin  and  Lowell,  kept  on  the 
Winchester  road  a  few  miles,  and  then  turned  off  towards 
Smithsfield,  and  towards  the  Nineteenth.  The  army  ad- 
vanced, skirmishing  occasionally  with  the  enemy,  who 
retired  up  the  Valley,  along  the  Strasburg  road.  At 
Front  Royal  a  rebel  force,  consisting  of  Jones's  Tennessee 
Brigade  of.  mounted  infantry,  with  three  field-pieces,  held 
a  strong  position.  This  was  assailed  by  Cesnola's  Fourth 
New  "i  ork  Cavalry,  which  was  repulsed.  The  Fourth, 
Sixth,  and  Ninth  New  York  and  Seventeenth  Pennsyl- 
vania then  advanced,  dismounted,  supported 'by  Pierce's 
Battery.  The  fight  lasted  from  eleven  till  two,  with  no 
decisive  result,  though  the  enemy  detained  the  pursuit 
some  hours  and  inflicted  loss  on  the  Federal  troops. 

The  enemy  then  drew  off  in  the  direction  of  Newtown, 
where  he  made  a  further  stand,  covering  the  passage  of 
his  trains,  and  repulsing  an  attack  by  the  Union  cavalry. 
The  advance  now  passed  beyond  Winchester  and  ~Md\l- 
wood,  which  were  evacuated  by  the  enemy,  and  camped, 
on  the  night  of  the  llth,  six  miles  to  the  southeast  of  the 
former  place.  Early,  thinking  it  was  the  design  of 
Sheridan  to  flank  him,  had  begun  his  withdrawal  from 
Winchester  to  Newtown  on  the  10th,  and  continued  it  un- 
til the  llth.  About  ten  o'clock  of  the  latter  day,  Lowell's 
Cavalry  charged  through  the  town,  but  effected  nothing, 
for  the  rear-guard  had  already  moved  out  at  the  other  end. 
The  fighting  of  the  day  was  entirely  conducted  by  Early's 
rear-guard.  On  the  12th,  the  enemy  having  again  fallen 
back,  the  column  resumed  the  advance,  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  reached  Cedar  Creek,  three  miles  north  of 
Strasburg.  Here  they  remained  during  the  13th  and 
14th  inactive.  Sheridan's  head-quarters  were  now  at  the 
spot  that  had  been  used  for  the  same  purpose  successively 
by  Fremont,  Sigel,  and  Hunter.  On  the  15th  the  enemy 


1080  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

withdrew  his  skirmishers  from  Strasburg,  but  held  Fish- 
er's Hill  beyond,  which  commanded  the  town. 

The  enemy  now  suddenly  resumed  the  offensive.  Sheri- 
dan, in  this  advance  to  Strasburg,  had  passed  on  his  lei't 
flank  several  gaps  in  the  mountains,  which  had  so  often 
given  passage  to  the  enemy  in  previous  campaigns.  The 
most  important  of  these  are  Snicker's  Gap  and  Island 
Ford.  None  of  these  gaps  were  guarded.  Mosby,  with 
his  light  troops,  was  too  vigilant  to  allow  such  an  oppor- 
tunity to  pass,  and  on  the  13th  he  rode  through  Snicker's 
Gap  and  pounced  upon  the  supply  train  at  Berryville. 
The  train  was  guarded  by  Kenly's  Brigade  of  one- 
hundred-days  men.  At  Mosby 's  charge,  a  part  of  the 
guard  were  panic-stricken.  A  few  brave  men  fought  as 
long  as  possible,  while  the  rest  took  to  their  heels.  The 
teams  were  unhitched,  the  wagons  fired,  and  all  the 
property  taken  off  to  the  Ferry.  The  chief  loss  was  in 
the  cavalry  baggage.  Mosby  captured  and  destroyed 
seventy-five  wagons,  secured  over  two  hundred  prisoners, 
five  or  six  hundred  horses  and  mules,  two  hundred  beef 
cattle,  and  some  stores.  His  loss  was  two  killed  and 
three  wounded. 

This  disaster,  greatly  exaggerated  by  reports,  caused 
the  whole  army  to  retrograde.  On  the  same  day  the 
enemy  captured  a  signal  party,  with  their  apparatus.  On 
the  night  of  Monday,  the  15th,  the  Nineteenth  Army 
Corps  began  to  retreat  on  Winchester,  followed  by  the 
Eighth  Corps,  while  the  Sixth  brought  up  the  rear.  On 
the  16th,  a  force  of  the  enemy,  composed  of  Lomax  and 
Wickham's  Brigades,  with  a  part  of  Kershaw's  Division, 
which  had  come  by  rail  from  Malvern  Hill  after  taking 
part  in  the  actions  there,  proceeded  down  the  Winchester 
and  Front  Royal  pike  to  cross  the  Shenandoah  and  attack 
the  Federal  troops  in  flank.  These  encountered  at  Crook- 
ed Run  the  brigades  of  Caster  and  Devin,  under  General 
Merritt,  and  were  repulsed.  The  retreat  was  prosecuted 
with  vigor,  and  orders  were  given  for  the  destruction  of 
every  thing  that  could  afford  sustenance  to  the  enemy. 
That  these  were  strictly  executed  may  be  seen  from  the 
.following  extract  from  a  Richmond  paper : — 

"  The  enemy,  as  they  retired  from  Strasburg,  literally  destroyed  every 
thing  in  the  way  of  food  for  man  or  beast.  With  their  immense  cavalry, 
they  extended  their  lines  from  Front  Royal,  in  "Warren  County,  to  the 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1081 

North  Mountains,  west  of  Strafeburg,  and  burned  every  bushel  of  wheat, 
in  stack,  barn,  or  mill,  in  Frederick,  "Warren,  and  Clark,  as  well  as 
oats  and  hay ;  they  have  really  left  absolutely  nothing  in  these  three 
counties.  They  drove  before  them  every  horse,  cow,  sheep,  hog,  calf,  and 
living  animal  from  the  country." 

The  enemy  followed  close  on  Sheridan's  heels,  and  oc- 
cupied Winchester  on  the  night  of  Wednesday,  the  17th, 
capturing  three  hundred  men  of  Penrose's  infantry  bri- 
gade, which  had  been  left  to  cover  the  Union  rear,  and 
had  been  abandoned  by  its  cavalry  supports. 

During  the  retreat,  Mosby's  gang  had  followed  the 
army,  treacherously  killing  or  capturing  where  the  op- 
portunity oifered.  In  retaliation,  General  Ouster  ordered 
the  Fifth  Michigan  to  destroy  the  houses  of  some  of  these 
half-guerrillas,  half-farmers,  who  had  committed  gross 
outrages  near  Snicker's  Gap.  While  thus  engaged,  the 
Union  cavalrymen  were  attacked  by  a  superior  force  of 
Mosby's  men,  and  brutally  murdered  after  surrendering. 
Many  neighboring  houses  were  destroyed  in  retaliation 
for  this  butchery.  On  the  21st,  the  army  occupied  a 
position  about  two  miles  out  from  Charlestown,  near 
Summit  Point,  from  the  Smithfield  to  the  Berryville 
pike,  with  the  Sixth  Corps  on  the  right,  the  Eighth  in  the 
centre,  and  the  Nineteenth  on  the  left,  the  latter  overlap- 
ping the  Berryville  pike.  About  eight  o'clock,  Early 
came  up,  on  his  road  to  Martinsburg,  and,  with  a  part  of 
his  columns,  attacked  our  advanced  cavalry  skirmishers, 
on  the  right, and  left,  easily  driving  them  in.  His  main 
body  moved  off  across  our  right ;  but  with  a  small  force 
he  drove  back  Wilson's  cavalry  division  from  its  position 
on  Summit  Point,  with  very  great  loss.  He  then  attack- 
ed the  Sixth  Corps,  and  the  combat  lasted,  without 
material  advantage  to  either  side,  from  ten  A.  M.  until 
nightfall,  when  the  corps  fell  back  to  Bolivar  Heights. 
Sheridan  then  posted  his  army  on  the  first  of  the  ranges 
called  Bolivar  Heights,  near  Harper's  Ferry,  the  right 
on  the  Potomac,  and  the  left  on  the  Shenandoah.  Head- 
quarters were  at  Halltown.  The  cavalry  was  sent  up  to 
the  neighborhood  of  Charlestown  early  on  Monday,  the 
22d,  and  had  sharp  skirmishing  with  the  enemy  until 
nine  A.  M.,  and  at  intervals  during  the  day.  The  cavalry 
of  the  enemy  then  scoured  the  country  in  all  directions. 
Several  reconnoissances  took  place  on  the  24th  and  25th, 


1082  HISTORY   OF  THE  GEEAT   REBELLION. 

in  which  the  First  and  Third  Divisions  of  Cavalry  were 
badly  handled. 

The  two  armies  remained  confronting  each  other  for 
some  days,  at  the  end  of  which  time  Early  again  fell  back 
up  the  Valley.  This  fact  being  ascertained,  Sheridan 
issued  orders  on  the -evening  of  the  27th  for  the  army  to 
move  at  daylight.  About  seven  o'clock  of  the  28th,  the 
entire  force  got  into  motion,  moving  out  from  behind 
their  formidable  breastworks  in  columns  of  brigades  by 
the  right  flank,  each  corps  preserving  its  relative  position 
in  the  line  of  battle,  and  moving  in  the  direction  of 
Charlestown.  The  cavalry,  which  had  proceeded  in  the 
direction  of  Shepherdstown,  moved  to  the  front  and  led 
the  advance.  By  ten  o'clock,  the  Nineteenth  Corps 
reached  Charlestown,  and  the  army  pushed  on  until  they 
reached  their  old  line  of  battle  during  the  recent  engage- 
ment a  week  before.  The  Sixth  Corps,  General  "Wright, 
held  the  right,  the  Nineteenth  Corps,  General  Emory,  the 
centre,  and  General  Crook's  command  the  left.  The 
army  was  then  formed  in  line  of  battle,  and  awaited  the 
result  of  the  cavalry  advance.  At  dusk,  orders  were 
issued  for  an  advance  at  daylight  on  the  29th.  On  the 
following  morning,  the  enemy  were  found  near  Smith- 
field,  by  General  Merritt,  who  attacked  the  rebel  cavalry 
vigorously,  driving  them  through  the  town  and  beyond 
Opequan  Creek,  where  he  came  in  contact  with  infantry. 
Custer's  Cavalry,  with  Ransom's  Battery,  were  moved 
across  the  creek,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  reconnois- 
sance  towards  Bunker  Hill.  But  after  an  encounter  with 
the  enemy's  skirmish  line,  they  retired  across  the  stream, 
followed  by  infantry,  who  attempted  to  outflank  them. 
Our  cavalry  accordingly  fell  back  upon  Smithfield,  in 
season  to  escape  the  movement.  Here  they  were  met  by 
Kicketts's  Division  of  Infantry,  before  whose  advance  the 
enemy  found  it  prudent  rapidly  to  withdraw.  Our  loss 
in  this  affair  was  less  than  one  hundred.  The  troops  then 
fell  back  upon  Charlestown,  where  '  they  remained  quiet 
for  several  days. 

On  the  morning  of  September  3d,  the  whole  army  was 
again  put"  in  motion  in  a  southerly  direction,  Crook's 
command  occupying  the  left,  the  Nineteenth  Corps  the 
centre,  and  the  Sixth  the  right.  At  noon,  Crook  reached 
the  vicinity  of  Berryville,  where,  a  few  hours  later,  he 


HISTOKY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION.  1083 

was  fiercely  attacked  by  a  heavy  rebel  force  approaching 
from  the  direction  01  Winchester,  which  lies  directly 
west.  The  enemy  were  handsomely  repulsed ;  and  during 
the  succeeding  night  the  whole  army  was  engaged  in 
throwing  up  substantial  breastworks,  as  if  for  the  purpose 
of  making  their  position  a  permanent  one.  Thus  affairs 
remained  for  nearly  two  weeks,  Early  being,  according  to 
reports,  at  Bunker  Hill  in  force,  and  Sheridan  showing  no 
disposition  to  leave  his  intrenched  lines  near  Berryville. 
The  cavalry  on  both  sides  were  active  in  reconnoissances. 

The  campaign  in  the  Shenandoah,  since  the  appoint- 
ment of  Sheridan  to  the  command  of  the  Middle  Division, 
had  hitherto  been  one  of  manosuvres  rather  than  of  de- 
cisive fighting,  and  the  marchings  and  counter-marchings, 
advances  and  retreats  of  the  Union  general  were  to  the 
public  mind  a  source  of  no  little  perplexity.  To  compre- 
hend his  motives,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  pos- 
session of  Lynchburg  was  indispensable  to  Lee  if  he 
wished  to  remain  in  Richmond,  and  that  the  large  force 
detached  under  Early,  to  drive  away  Hunter  and  demon- 
strate against  "Washington,  was  still  in  the  Yalley.  Under 
.  these  circumstances,  Grant  placed  Sheridan  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Valley — first,  to  detach  a  force  from  Lee  ;  second, 
to  employ  that  force  in  the  Valley,  so  that  no  portion  of 
it  might  be  sent  to  Hood  at  Atlanta ;  third,  to  guard 
Washington  and  the  border  from  the  attacks  of  this 
force.  For  about  five  or  six  weeks,  Sheridan's  incessant 
moving  backward  and  forward  kept  Early  so  busy  that 
Hood  could  not  get  a  man  from-  Lee,  and  was  forced  to 
suffer  defeat  at  Jonesboro,  and  to  evacuate  Atlanta  for 
lack  of  re-enforcements.  .  Meantime,  Early  and  Sheridan 
were  living  off  the  Valley  farms,  and  together  destroying 
much  food  and  forage  precious  to  Lee,  and  all  this  time 
Early  did  no  essential  damage  to  Sheridan. 

With  the  fall  of  Atlanta,  one  of  the  prime  motives  for 
pursuing  this  Fabian  policy  was  removed,  and1  to  a  general 
of  so  energetic  and  impetuous  a  temperament  as  Sheridan, 
the  opportunity  now  afforded  to  fight  a  pitched  battle 
with  the  enemy  for  the  possession  of  the  Valley  was 
seized*  with  avidity.  About  the  middle  of  'September 
the  lieutenant-general  paid  a  hasty  visit  to  the  Upper 
Potomac,  and,  after  learning  from  Sheridan  that  the 
enemy  was  still  in  force  in  the  Valley,  released  him  from 


1084  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

the  irksome  task  of  manoeuvring,  and  bade  him  strike 
when  he  found  the  opportunity.  Keconnoissanees  under- 
taken on  the  13th  and  16th  rendered  it  evident  that  the 
main  body  of  the  enemy  had  advanced  to  the  vicinity 
of  Bunker  Hill  and  Stephenson's  Depot,  and  General 
.Sheridan  resolved  to  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity, 
and  by  a  rapid  movement  fall  on  Early's  rear  from  the 
direction  of  Berry  ville  towards  Winchester.  Accordingly, 
on  Monday,  the  19th,  pursuant  to  orders,  the  Sixth  and 
Nineteenth  Corps  were  ordered  to  march  at  three  o'clock, 
and  the  Army  of  Western  Yirginia,  under  Crook,  at  five 
o'clock.  The  Sixth  Corps  was  directed  to  move  out  on 
the  Winchester  and  Berry  ville  pike,  marching  in  parallel 
columns  on  each  side  of  the  road,  with  the  artillery, 
ammunition,  and  supply  trains  on  the  road — the  Nine- 
teenth Corps  to  follow  on  the  same  road  in  similar  order. 
Crook  was  ordered  to  move  from  his  position  in  the 
vicinity  of  Summit  Point  across  the  country  in  a  south- 
westerly direction,  and  form  a  junction  at  the  crossing  of 
the  Opequan,  on  the  Berryville  and  Winchester  pike. 
The  cavalry,  under  Torbert  and  Averill,  were  meanwhile 
to  divert  the  enemy's  attention  by  heavy  demonstrations 
on  his  left.  Shortly  after  daylight,  Wilson's  Division  of 
cavalry  crossed  the  Opequan,  and  skirmished  with  the 
enemy,  who  were  discovered  in  force  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Opequan.  Early  immediately  recalled  his  forces 
from  Bunker  Hill,  and  when  the  Sixth  and  Nineteenth 
Corps  advanced  across  the  Opequan,  they  were  met  and 
repulsed  by  a  fire  from  the  enemy's  guns.  Being  re- 
enforced  by  our  batteries,  they  again  advanced  and  retook 
the  position.  At  three  o'clock,  Crook's  First  Division 
came  into  position  on  the  right,  the  Second  Division  in 
the  rear,  supporting  a  division  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps. 
At  about  the 'same  time,  General  Torbert  arrived  on  the 
extreme  right  with  Averill's  and  Merritt's  Divisions  of 
cavalry.  With  his  forces  thus  consolidated,  General 
Sheridan  ordered  an  advance  along  the  entire  line.  Our 
infantry  were  soon  hotly  engaged  with  the  enemy,  who 
stubbornly  maintained  their  ground  until  our  cavalry 
joined  in  the  charge,  when  they  gave  way  in  utter  con- 
fusion, never  pausing  in  their  flight  until  they  reached 
Fisher's  Hill,  thirty  miles  south  of  Winchester,  where 
they  took  refuge  behind  some  previously  erected  earth- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  1085 

works.     The  following  is  Sheridan's  dispatch  announcing 
his  success:  — 

""We  fought  Early  from  daylight  till  between  six  and  seven  p.  M.  We 
drove  him  from  Opequan  Creek  through  Winchester  and  beyond  the  town. 
We  captured  two  thousand  five  hundred  to  three  thousand  prisoners,  five 
pieces  of  artillery,  nine  battle-flags,  and  all  the  rebel  wounded  and  dead. 

"  Their  wounded  in  Winchester  amounted  to  some  three  thousand.  We 
lost  in  killed  General  David  Russell,  commanding  a  division  of  the  Sixth 
Army  Corps,  and  wounded  Generals  Chapman.  Mclntosh,  and  Upton.  The 
rebels  lost  in  killed  the  following  general  officers: 

"General  Rhodes,  General  Wharton,  General  Gordon,  and  General 
Ramseur. 

"  We  have  just  sent  them  whirling  through  Winchester,,  and  we  are  after 
them  to-morrow.  This  army  behaved  splendidly.  I  am  sending  forward 
all  the  medical  supplies,  subsistence  stores,  and  ambulances." 

Sheridan  lost  no  time  in  following  the  retreating  rebels, 
and  the  21st  found  his  army  confronting  their  new  posi- 
tion. The  enemy  was  posted  with  his  right  on  the  North 
Fork  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  his  left  on  the  North 
Mountain.  His  line,  running  westerly,  extended  across 
the  Strasburg  Valley.  There  was  considerable  manoeu- 
vring for  position  till  after  midday.  Crook's  command 
was  on  our  right,  "Wright's  Sixth  Corps  in  the  centre,  and 
Emory's  Nineteenth  on  the  left.  While .  Emory  demon- 
strated on  the  left,  Bicketts's  Division  of  the  Sixth  Corps 
advanced  directly  in  front,  and  Averill  drove  in  the 
enemy's  skirmishers.  Under  cover  of  these  demonstra- 
tions, Crook  moved  out  to  the  extreme  right,  and,  after 
an  arduous  march,  swept  about,  and  flanked  the  enemy's 
left. 

At  four  or  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  a  successful 
charge  was  made  by  Crook,  who  carried  the  enemy  before 
him.  At  the  same  time,  Wright  attacked  in  the  centre, 
Emory  on  the  left,  and  Averill  skirted  atong  the  base  of 
the  South  Mountain.  With  great  rapidity,  the  Sixth 
Corps  broke  in  the  enemy's  centre,  separating  his  two 
wings,  when  he  retreated  towards  Woodstock  in  great 
confusion.  Artillery,  horses,  wagons,  rifles,  knapsacks, 
and  -  canteens  were  abandoned  in  the  flight,  and  eleven 
hundred  prisoners  and  sixteen  pieces  of  artillery  captured. 
In  the  battles  of  the  19th  and  21st  the  rebels  lost,  in 
killed,  wounded,  prisoners,  and  missing,  not  less  than  ten 
thousand  men. 

Sheridan  continued  the  pursuit  on  the  night  after  the 


1086  ^BISTORT   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

battle  to  "Woodstock,  and  there  halted  next  morning,  for 
rest  and  rations.  Averill,  pushing  on  in  advance,  drove 
the  enemy  on  to  Mount  Jackson,  twenty-five  miles  south 
of  Strasburg,  where  he  halted  and  made  a  stand,  check- 
ing our  advance  with  infantry  and  artillery.  From  Wood- 
stock, Sheridan  moved  rapidly  up  the  Valley  to  Mount 
Jackson.  About  a  mile  from  the  town  the  "North 
Fork"  of  the  Shenandoah  crosses  the  pike.  A  good 
wooden  bridge  still  spanned  the  stream.  After  some 
sharp  skirmishing  on  our  left,  Devin's  Cavalry  drove  the 
enemy  before  him,  whereupon  our  batteries,  posted  near 
the  bridge,  opened  on  the  opposite  crest,  over  which  the 
enemy  finally  retired.  Skirmish  lines  were  immediately 
moved  across  the  stream,  and,  covering  the  fronts  of  their 
respective  corps,  pushed  forward.  In  the  advance,  the 
Nineteenth  Corps  marched  in  column  on  the  right  of  the 
pike,  and  the  Sixth  in  like  formation  on  the  left,  ready  at 
any  moment  to  form  line.  The  batteries  had  the  pike. 
The  cavalry  was  thrown  forward  in  advance  of  the  in- 
fantry skirmish  line.  At  every  favorable  position  the 
enemy  would  halt  and  contest  our  advance ;  but  the  bat- 
teries, being  brought  forward,  would,  after  a  few  rounds, 
cause  them  to  resume  their  march  in  retreat.  No  stop, 
was  made  at  Newmarket,  the  scene  of  Sigel's  fight  and 
defeat  in  May. 

On  Sunday,  September  25th,  Sheridan's  head-quarters 
were  in  Harrisonburg,  and  on  Monday  morning,  Torbert, 
with  his  troopers,  pushed  out  to  Staunton,  twenty-five 
miles  away.  Meantime,  Early  retired  upon  Brown's 
Gap,  in  the  Blue  Ridge,  eight  miles  southeast  o£  Port 
Republic,  twenty  miles  east  of  Staunton,  and  fifteen 
northeast  of  Waynesboro.  Sheridan  pursued  to  Port 
Republic,  destroying  seventy-five  wagons  and  four  cais- 
sons. From  Harrisonburg,  Torbert,  with  "Wilson's  cav- 
alry division  and  one  brigade  of  Merritt's,  marched  to 
Staunton,  which  he  entered  at  eight  A.  M.  of  Monday,  the 
26th,  and  there  destroyed  a  large  quantity  of  the  enemy's 
property  of  various  kinds.  Thence  he  marched  south- 
easterly to  Waynesboro,  threw  the  iron  bridge  over  the 
South  River  at  that  point  into  the  river,  and  destroyed  the 
bridge  over  Christiana  Creek,  and  the  railroad  from 
Staunton  to  Waynesboro.  At  Waynesboro  other  gov- 
ernment property  was  destroyed.  But  finding  the  tun- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  1087 

nel  defended  by  troops,  Torbert  retired  to  Harrisonburg 
by  way  of  Staunton. 

On  the  27th,  offensive  demonstrations  were  resumed. 
But  before  they  were  fairly  opened,  the  enemy  suddenly 
burst  upon  Powell's  flank  with  great  force,  and  was  with 
difficulty  repulsed.  The  effect  of  this  engagement  was 
to  cause  our  cavalry  to  fall  back  from  J*ort  Republic  to 
Cross  Keys.  Brown's  Gap  remained  in  the  enemy's  pos- 
session. 

The  position  of  Early  at  Brown's  Gap  was  a  very 
strong  one.  It  had  the  advantage  of  covering  Gordons- 
ville  and  Charlottesville,  and  of  threatening  Sheridan's 
flank  and  rear  should  he  attempt  to  move  from  Lynch- 
burg.  It  possessed  also  unusual  facilities  for  defence.. 
North  of  it  are  Swift  Run  and  Semon's  Gaps ;  §outh  of 
it,  Rockfish  Gap  and  Jaman's  Gaps.  All  of  these  are 
so  near  together  that  Early  easily  held  them  under  his 
control,  posting  his  main  force  at  Brown's  Gap,  and  throw- 
ing his  flanks  out  as  far  as  Rockn'sh  Gap  and  Swift  Run 
Gap.  These  are  the  gateways  to  Gordonsville  and  Char- 
lottesville from  Staunton  and  Harrisonburg.  He  held  them 
firmly,  and  was  disposed  not  to  surrender  them  without  a 
decisive  battle.  One  or  two  assaults  had  resulted  in  such 
stout  resistance  from  Early 's  troops  that  it  was  very  evi- 
dent that  the  enemy  had  recovered  his  equilibrium,  and 
was  disposed  to  contest  every  rod  of  the  way.  It  was 
also  discovered  that  Early  was  too  strongly  posted  in  the 
Gap  to  be  assaulted.  Two  courses,  therefore,  remained 
for  Sheridan :  either  to  prosecute  his  advance  towards 
Lynchburg,  or  to  retire  down  the  Yalley.  To  reach 
Lynchburg  had  been  a  prime  object  with  Sigel  and  Hun- 
ter, as  it  was  now  with  Sheridan.  But  to  move,  with 
Early  upon  his  flank  and  rear,  would  have  been  hazard- 
ous in  the  extreme.  There  remained,  then,  nothing  but 
to  fall  back.  Mosby  also  was  on  Sheridan's  flank,  and 
the  army  supplies  on  the  way  up  the  Yalley  were  in 
danger,  as  before,  when  Mosby  captured  the  train. 

On  the  6th  October,  Sheridan  retreated  to  Woodstock, 
whence  he  sent  the  following  dispatch : — 

"WOODSTOCK,  VIRGINIA,  October  1,  1864 — 9  P.  M. 
"  Lieutenant-G-eneral  U.  S.  GRANT  : 

"I  have  the  honor  to  report  my  command  at  this  point  to-night.  I  com- 
menced moving  back  from  Port  Republic,  Mount  Crawford,  Bridgewater, 


1088  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

and  Harrisonburg  yesterday  morning.  The  grain  and  forage  in  advance 
of  these  points  had  previously  been  destroyed.  In  moving  back  to  this 
point  the  whole  country  from  the  Blue  Ridge  to  the  North  Mountain  has 
been  made  entirely  untenable  for  a  rebel  army.  I  have  destroyed  over  two 
thousand  barns  filled  with  wheat  and  hay  and  farming  implements,  over 
seventy  mills  filled  with  flour  and  wheat ;  have  driven  in  front  of  the  army 
over  four  thousand  head  of  stock,  and  have  killed  and  issued  to  the  troops 
not  less  than  three  thousand  sheep.  This  destruction  embraces  the  Luray 
Valley  and  Little  Fort^  Valley,  as  well  as  the  main  Valley.  A  large  num- 
ber of  horses  have  been  obtained,  a  proper  estimate  of  which  I  cannot  now 
make.  Lieutenant  John  R.  Meigs,  my  engineer  officer,  was  murdered  be- 
yond Harrisonburg  near  Dayton.  For  this  atrocious  act  all  the  houses 
within  an  area  of  five  miles  were  burned.  Since  I  came  into  the  Valley 
from  Harper's  Ferry,  every  train,  every  small  party,  and  every  straggler 
has  been  bushwhacked  by  the  people,  many  of  whom  have  protection 
passes  from  commanders  who  have  been  hitherto  in  that  Valley.  The 
people  here  are  getting  sick  of  the  war.  Heretofore  they  have  had  no 
reason  to  complain,  because  they  have  been  living  in  great  abundance.  I 
have  not  been  followed  by  the  enemy  to  this  point,  with  the  exception  of 
a  small  fofte  of  the  rebel  cavalry  that  showed  themselves  some  distance 
behind  my  rear-guard  to-day.  A  party  of  one  hundred  of  the  Eighth  Ohio 
Cavalry,  which  I  had  stationed  at  the  bridge  over  the  North  Shenandoah, 
near  Mount  Jackson,  was  attacked  by  McNeil  with  seventeen  men,  while 
they  were  asleep,  and  the  whole  party  dispersed  or  captured.  I  think 
they  will  all  turn  up.  I  learn  that  fifty-six  of  them  had  reached  Win- 
chester. McNeil  was  mortally  wounded,  and  fell  into  our  hands.  This 
was  fortunate,  as  he  was  the  most  daring  and  dangerous  of  all  the  bush- 
whackers in  this  section  of  the  country. 

(Signed)  "P.  H.  SHERIDAN,  Major- General." 

During  his  pursuit  of  Early,  and  on  his  retreat  down 
the  Valley,  Sheridan  effected  an  immense  destruction  of 
public  property,  and,  in  accordance  with  orders  from 
Government,  destroyed  all  the  grain,  hay,  and  forage  to 
be  found,  except  what  was  necessary  for  his  own  army. 
The  Valley  had  been  the  great  storehouse  and  granary  of 
the  rebel  armies  in  Virginia,  and  in  order  to  cripple  Lee 
it  was  deemed  indispensable  to  carry  out  this  harsh  but 
necessary  policy.  It  had  also  harbored  perhaps  the  worst 
class  of  guerrillas  to  be  found  in  the  country — men  who 
were  farmers  by  day  and  robbers  by  night ;  who,  under 
the  guise  of  loyalty,  entrapped  and  murdered  unsuspect- 
ing Union  soldiers,  and  had  from  the  outset  of  the  war 
been  systematic  and  successful  spies  over  the  Union 
armies.  To  strike  terror  into  this  class  of  men  and  those 
who  sympathized  with  or  harbored  them,  and  put  a  stop 
to  their  excesses,  was  the  prime  object  of  the  Government, 
and  a  wholesale  system  of  devastation  was  inaugurated 
by  Sheridan,  which,  while  it  sometimes  struck  friend  as 
well  as  foe,  undoubtedly  had  on  the  whole  a  beneficial 


HISTORY  OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1089 

influence  in  restraining  the  operations  of  the  guerrillas 
and  bushwackers,  and  driving  them  to  parts  of  the 
country  where  it  would  be  less  dangerous  for  the  inhabit- 
ants to  harbor  them.  This  duty  was  efficiently  performed 
by  Torbert's  Cavalry.  On  the  8th  of  October  the  rebel 
General  Eosser,  while  harassing  Sheridan's  rear,  was 
suddenly  encountered  by  the  Union  cavalry  and  soundly 
beaten,  losing  three  hundred  prisoners,  eleven  pieces  of 
artillery,  and  a  number  of  caissons  and  wagons.  He  was 
then  pursued  a  distance  of  twenty-six  miles. 

67  J 


1090  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 


CHAPTER    LXYIII. 

Position  of  Armies. — Early  .Advances. — Battle  of  Cedar  Creek. — Opportune 
Arrival  of  Sheridau. — Disastrous  Defeat  of  the  Enemy. — Sheridan's 
Troops  leave  for  the  Potomac — Devastation. 

EARLY  promptly  renewed  his  advance  movement  on  the 
retirement  of  Sheridan  to  Cedar  Creek.  The  losses  in- 
flicted upon  him  were  soon  made  up  by  re-enforcements, 
and  a  few  days  of  repose  in  the  fastnesses  of  Brown's  Gap 
enabled  him  to  recuperate  his  forces,  and  to  take  the  field 
with  twenty-eight  thousand  men,  comprising  the  five 
divisions  of  infantry  under  Ramseur,  Gordon,  Pegram, 
Wharton,  and  Kershaw.  While  Early  was  advancing, 
the*  Federal  commander  had  quietly  occupied  the  north 
bank  of  Cedar  Creek.  The  Army  of  Western  Yirginia, 
General  Crook,  held  the  left,  its  right  resting  on  the 
pike ;  the  Nineteenth  Corps,  General  Emory  the  centre, 
its  left  resting  on  the  pike ;  and  the  Sixth  Corps,  General 
Wright,  the  right,  connecting  with  the  Nineteenth  Corps. 
The  First  and  Second  Cavalry  Divisions  were  on  the  ex- 
treme right,  Custer  being  in  advance  in  front  of  the  Sixth 
Corps,  Merritt  in  rear  of  Custer,  his  left  flank  just  over- 
lapping the  right  of  the  Sixth  Corps.  Thus  the  Sixth 
Corps  was  rendered  partially  a  reserve.  The  line  was 
formed  from  right  to  left  across  the  entire  Valley,  thus  : 
Custer,  Merritt,  Wright,  Emory,  Crook,  Powell.  The 
cavalry  of  the  latter  picketed  the  whole  North  Fork  to 
Front  Royal.  Crook  and  Emory  had  artillery  in  posi- 
tion to  command  the  rising  ground  on  the  opposite  bank 
of  Cedar  Creek.  Just  in  the  rear  of  Crook,  on  the  left, 
what  was  called  the  Provisional  Division,  under  Colonel 
Kitchin,  was  encamped.  Sheridan's  head-quarters  were 
fixed  at  a  stone  house  about  half  a  mile  in  rear  of  the 
centre.  Sheridan  himself  had  been  absent  on  a  journey 
to  Washington  .since  Sunday,  October  16th.  On  Tues- 
day night  he  slept  at  Winchester  on  his  return.  Wright, 
therefore,  commanded  the  army  on  the  morning  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  1091 

19th,  Bicketts  being  in  command  of  the  Sixth  Corps. 
Against  this  strong  position,  which  was  considered  by 
the  Union  generals  almost  impregnable,  Early,  with  a 
boldness  commendable  in  one  who  had  recently  suffered 
two  severe  defeats,  determined  to  make  a  night  attack, 
and,  if  possible,  retrieve  his  reputation  and  drive  Sheridan 
from  the  Valley.  He  was  prompted  to  undertake  the 
movement  from  a  belief  that  the  Sixth  Corps  had  been 
withdrawn,  and  from  a  report  that  Sheridan  was  absent 
from  the  army.  How  nearly  he  succeeded,  and  how  op- 
portunely he  was  frustrated,  are  among  the  most  remark- 
able facts  of  the  war. 

Just  before  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  19th,  Early 
began  his  movement  to  surprise  the  Union  army.  An 
impenetrable  fog  enveloped  the  whole  region,  favoring 
his  designs.  The  three  divisions  with  which  he  began 
his  assault  were  massed  at  Fisher's  Hill,  and  the  troops 
were  disencumbered  of  every  accoutrement  except  their 
arms  and  ammunition.  They  were  not  even  permitted 
to  carry  their  canteens,  lest  their  clanking  should  advise 
Sheridan  of  their  approach.  Just  as  the  first  gleam  of 
day  began  to  mingle  with  the  dim  moonlight,  the  sharp 
rattle  of  musketry  on  the  extreme  right  gave  notice  of 
what  was  an  unimportant  and  feint  attack.  As  this 
attack  began,  the  sentinels  of  the  enemy  along  the  whole 
line  fired  signal  muskets  from  right  to  left.  Immediately 
afterwards  the  three  divisions,  under  Pegram,  Ramseur, 
and  Gordon,  advanced  in  solid  columns  down  the  turn- 
pike from  Strasburg,  without  skirmishers,  and  assaulted 
Crook's  position  in  front  and  flank.  The  surprise  was 
complete,  and  the  rebels,  advancing  by  column  of 
regiments,  and  firing  rapid  and  terrific  volleys  of  mus- 
ketry, swept  over  the  works  almost  without  opposition. 
Crook's  whole  line  gradually  giving  way,  of  seven  guns  in 
the  breastworks,  six  were  captured,  but  one  being  saved. 
The  enemy  pressed  on  with  fierce  shouts,  keeping  up  a 
deadly  fire  of  musketry,  which  prevented  Crook's  men 
from  rallying  in  the  thick  fog  which  bewildered  both  men 
and  officers.  The  smoke,  the  fog,  the  wild  shouts,  and 
the  deadly  fire  from  an  unseen  foe,  who  poured  into  the 
encampments,  capturing  camp  equipage  and  barely 
aroused  soldiers,  were  powerful  agents  in  promoting  con- 
fusion. General  Crook  and  his  division  commanders  did 


1092  HISTORY   OF  THE  GBEAT  REBELLION. 

their  best,  under  the  circumstances,  to  meet  the  shock, 
and  constantly  opposed  a  half-organized  front  against  the 
enemy.  The  latter,  pushing  up  beyond  and  around  our 
left,  entered  the  encampments  of  the  provisional  division 
under  Colonel  Kitchin,  routing  it  also,  and  driving  those 
and  Crook's  troops  on  towards  the  pike. 

Meanwhile  Kershaw's  Division,  which  had  left  Ear- 
ly's  position  in  a  southeasterly  direction,  and  had  turned 
north  and  crossed  the  North  Fork  before  dawn  of  Wednes- 
day, was  now  closing  on  the  intrenchments  of  the  Eighth 
Corps,  capturing  prisoners  in  large  numbers  and  seizing 
the  batteries.  The  left  division  of  Crook's  Corps  and 
Kitchin's  Division  were  now  thoroughly  broken  up.  At 
the  same  time  Early,  with  his  remaining  division,  had 
moved  on  up  the  pike  towards  our  centre,  bringing  artil- 
lery, and  opening  with  it  on  the  lines  of  the  Nineteenth 
Corps.  Their  opening  fire  was  vigorous,  and  was  follow- 
ed up  by  an  advance  of  their  infantry  across  the  creek, 
joining  in  the  assault  made  by  their  comrades  on  the  left, 
and  directing  itself  against  the  lines  of  the  Nineteenth 
Corps.  Emory's  left  flank  was  wholly  exposed  by  the 
retreat  of  Crook,  and  the  attack  upon  it  was,  therefore, 
overwhelming.  Colonel  McAuley,  commanding  the 
Third  Brigade  of  Grover's  Division  on  the  left,  was 
ordered  to  swing  out  of  his  position  in  front  and  meet  the 
flank  fire  of  the  rebels.  He  did  so,  making  a  gallant  but 
ineffectual  opposition;  and  he  had  scarcely  left  the  breast- 
works to  perform  the  movement,  when  trie  enemy  swept 
up  into  them  against  the  unavailing  fire  of  Grover's 
Division,  forcing  the  whole  division  back,  with  the  loss 
of  eleven  guns  captured  and  left  upon  the  field. 

It  was  now  daylight,  and  the  enemy,  having  rolled  up 
the  left  of  the  line  and  captured  eighteen  guns,  which 
were  turned  on  our  retreating  columns,  was  now  driving 
in  the  centre.  Nearly  all  of  his  force  was  over  the  creek, 
and  his  flanking  column,  leaving  the  pursuit  of  the  Eighth 
Corps,  was  closing  in  on  Emory^s  left,  who,  being  flanked 
in  his  turn,  gave  way  to  the  rear.  The  Sixth  Corps, 
which  was  in  line  on  the.  right  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps 
(the  cavalry  being  in  front  of  its  right),  partially  in  re- 
serve, was  ordered  to  change  front,  swing  round — what 
had  been  its  left  before  being  the  pivot— meet  the  ad- 
vance of  the  enemy  in  the  centre,  and  check  it.  Another 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION.  1093 

order  was  sent  to  the  cavalry  on  the  extreme  right,  under 
Torbert,  to  move  rapidly  across  in  rear,  from  right  to 
left,  and  check  the  advance  of  the  enemy  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  pike  toward  Middletown.  The  Sixth  Corps, 
moving  by  the  left  flank,  came  up  a.  short  distance  in 
rear  of  what  had  been  General  Sheridan's  head-quarters, 
opened  the  right  of  its  line  to  permit  the  stragglers  from 
the  left  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps  to  pass  through,  and 
then,  in  conjunction  with  the  remainder  of  the  Nineteenth 
Corps,  which  finally  rallied  and  formed  on  its  right,  re- 
pulsed a  tremendous  charge  of  the  enemy  and  held  them 
at  bay. 

This  served  to  cover  the  general  retreat  which  was ' 
ordered.  The  enemy  were  steadily  gaining  ground  on 
the  pike  towards  Middletown.  Great  efforts  were  made 
to  get  away  the  trains  of  the  two  left  corps,  and  most  of 
those  of  the  Nineteenth  were  saved.  Most  of  the  ambu- 
lance train  of  the  Eighth  Corps  was  captured  during  the 
first  hour  of  the  engagement.  In  the  retreat,  and  in  the 
effort  to  cover  our  trains,  our  troops  suffered  severely 
from  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  who  pursued  closely  and  with 
great  vigor.  The  Sixth  Corps  was  steadily  covering  the 
retreat,  however,  and,  by  resisting  the  enemy's  advance, 
gave  opportunity  to  re-form  the  Eighth  and  Nineteenth 
Corps,  with  the  Nineteenth  on  the  right,  the  Sixth  in  the 
centre,  and  the  Eighth  on  the  left.  During  the  retreat, 
General  Bicketts,  commanding  the  Sixth  Corps,  was 
severely  wounded  in  the  breast.  The  enemy  now  in- 
creased both  his  artillery  and  musketry  fire  to  its  utmost 
capacity,  till  the  roar  and  carnage  became  terrific.  He 
still  pressed  our  left  flank,  as  if  determined  to  drive  us 
away  from  the  turnpike,  that  he  mjght  seize  our  trains 
and  insert  himself  between  us  and  Winchester.  His  pro- 
jects were  aided  somewhat  by  the  necessity  forced  upon 
us  to  spend  much  time  in  manoeuvring  to  re-form  the  line, 
while  he  employed  himself  only  in  advancing  and  pour- 
ing in  his  destructive  fire.  As  he  pressed  our  left  so 
much  more  hotly  than  the  right,  the  cavalry  divisions  of 
Merritt  and  Custer  were  sent  across  thither  from  the 
right,  and  now  a  severe  contest  took  place  near  Middle- 
town,  in  the  thickly  wooded  and  rough  country  in  which 
our  left  had  found  itself. 

It  was  now  about  nine  o'clock,  and  our  troops,  having 


1094  HISTORY   OF   THE   GBEAT   REBELLION. 

got  into  line  of  battle  again,  were  for  the  first  time 
making  desperate  efforts  to  check  the  enemy.  The 
Eighth  Corps,  on  the  left,  and  the  Sixth,  in  the  centre, 
were  receiving  the  brunt  of  the  fierce  onset.  Merritt  and 
Ouster  had  also  taken  part  in  the  thick  of  the  battle. 
Both  sides  were  using  artillery  as  well  as  musketry,  but 
the  enemy  brought  to  bear  the  greater  weight  of  metal, 
having  re-enforced  their  own  batteries  with  our  captured 
pieces.  As  the  enemy's  troops  closed  in  on  our  own,  it 
was  clear  that  the  momentum  he  had  acquired  was 
swinging  him  again  past  our  flank.  The  flanking  column 
of  the  enemy  pressed  severely  upon  Thorburn's  Division 
and  other  parts  of  Crook's  Corps,  and  once  more  forced  it 
back.  The  Sixth  Corps  held  its  ground  well,  but  the 
whole  line  was  giving  way,  and  the  enemy  gained  Mid- 
dletown.  He  continued  to  press  us  back  towards  Ste- 
phensburg  or  Newtown,  which  lies  next  below  Middle- 
town,  on  the  turnpike,  and  about  five  miles  distant  there- 
from. His  artillery  was  served  with  great  accuracy  from 
the  heights  north  of  Middletown,  which  we  had  just 
vacated.  Our  principal  aim  henceforth  was  to  success- 
fully cover  our  trains  and  to  draw  away  the  army  with  as 
little  loss  as  possible  to  Newtown,  when  another  stand 
might  be  made. 

Where  all  this  time  was  Sheridan  ?  He  had  arrived, 
as  has  been  mentioned,  at  Winchester,  twenty  miles 
from  his  camp,  on  the  night  of  the  18th,  intending  to 
proceed  to  Cedar  Creek  on  the  next  morning.  Unsus- 
picious of  danger  ahead,  he  started  at  about  eight  A.  M. 
on  the  19th,  with  his  escort,  at  a  leisurely  pace.  JBut  soon 
the  distant  thunder  of  artillery  in  the  direction  of  Mid- 
dletown caused  him  to  quicken  his  pace.  Thinking  that 
Early  had  possibly  ventured  to  attack  the  position  at 
Cedar  Creek,  he  was  desirous  of  witnessing  the  punish- 
ment which  the  rebel  general,  by  all  the  chances  of  war, 
should  receive  for  his  temerity.  Gradually  the  sound  of 
the  artillery  swelled  into  a  continuous  roar,  and  seemed  to 
roll  towards  him,  until  the  conviction  became  too  strong 
for  doubt  that  a  heavy  battle  was  raging  in  the  front, 
and  that  the  defeated  party  were  being  rapidly  pushed 
northward.  He  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  rode  at  full 
speed  towards  the  firing,  fearing,  yet  unwilling  to  believe, 
that  any  disaster  could  have  overtaken  the  army  which 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT  REBELLION.  1095 

he  had  twice  led  to  signal  victory.  But  soon  the  first 
troup  of  fugitives  and  camp-followers  streaming  north- 
ward told  him  that  his  army  was  beaten  and  in  full  re- 
treat. Galloping  along  far  ahead  of  his  escort,  he  dashed 
up  to  the  front  soon  after  ten  o'clock,  his  charger  reeking 
with  foam,  and  by  his  voice  and  presence  infused  con- 
fidence and  new  courage  into  the  disheartened  troops. 
Even  wounded  men  by  the  roadside  greeted  him  with 
cheers.  At  once  he  directed  every  effort  to  stopping 
the  retreat  and  re-forming  the  men.  This  was  favored 
by  a  pause  in  the  pursuit  on  the  part  of  the  enemy, 
which  enabled  the  army  to  fall  back  out  of  range.  The 
provost-marshals  of  the  several  corps  succeeded  in  form- 
ing a  line  of  guards  in  the  rear,  which  was  gradually 
effective  in  preventing  desertion.  In  a  short  time  the 
stragglers  were  partially  organized  and  moving  towards 
the  front.  The  Army  of  Western  Virginia,  which  had 
been  so  completely  broken  up  and  scattered  in  the  morn- 
ing, was  thus  re-formed  in  a  measure  and  put  in  position. 
Sheridan  ordered  all  retreat  to  be  stopped  at  once,  and  at 
one  P.  M.  had  got  his  army  established  in  line  of  battle, 
as  follows  :  the  Sixth  Corps  in  the  centre,  Nineteenth 
Corps  on  the  right,  Crook's  command  on  the  left,  Custer's 
cavalry  division  on  the  extreme  right,  and  Merritt's  cav- 
alry division  on  the  extreme  left. 

The  enemy  meantime  had  moved  up  his  guns  in  range 
of  the  new  position,  and  having  again  got  his  troops  in 
hand,  once  more  came  on  to  the  charge,  but  was  severely 
repulsed  by  the  Nineteenth  Corps.  General  Bidwell  was 
killed  and  Grover  wounded  during  this  attack.  It  now 
became  evident  that  Early  had  relinquished  offensive 
movements  for  the  day.  Tne  enemy  began  throwing  up 
breastworks.  Their  wagons  and  ambulances  were  brought 
across  Cedar  Run,  and  every  thing  indicated  their  inten- 
tion to  retain  the  position  during  the  night.  Having  now 
become  somewhat  prepared  to  take  the  offensive,  Sher- 
idan at  three  p.  M.  ordered  an  attack  with  a  view  of  re- 
gaining the  position  at  Cedar  Creek.  The  Sixth  Corps 
was  drawn  up  in  the  centre,  along  the  pike,  with  Getty's- 
Second  Division  in  advance,  and  the  other  divisions  sup- 
porting. Between  three  and  Tour  o'clock  Getty  dashed 
forward  on  the  charge,  and  the  remainder  of  the  line  fol- 
lowed. A  tremendous  fire  of  artillery  and  musketry 


1096  HISTOKY    OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION. 

greeted  our  troops  as  they  burst  out  of  the  woods.  For  a 
time  it  seemed  impossible  to  withstand  it.  Our  lines 
once  fell  back,  broken,  but  were  again  re-formed,  and 
while  such  of  our  own  batteries  as  remained  answered  the 
enemy  with  vigor  and  effect,  the  troops  again  pressed  on. 
Despite  determined  and  bloody  resistance,  they  carried 
the  town,  and  drove  the  discomfited  enemy  through  it. 
This  was  the  crisis  of  the  day,  and  from  that  moment 
victory  was  ours.  On  through  Middletown,  and  beyond, 
the  enemy  hurried,  and  the  army  of  the  Shenandoah  pur- 
sued. Caster  and  Merritt,  charging  in  on  right  and  left, 
doubled  up  the  flanks  of  the  foe,  taking  prisoners,  slash- 
ing, killing,  driving  as  they  went.  The  march  of  the  in- 
fantry, though  more  slow,  was  more  effective. 

The  retreat  of  the  enemy  was  continued  back  to  Fisher's 
Hill.  At  Cedar  Creek  he  attempted  to  hold  us  in  check, 
and  planted  his  batteries  on  the  opposite  banks,  to  hold 
the  bridge  and  fords.  But  our  forces  pressed  on,  carried 
the  fords  and  bridge,  and  drove  him  from  the  creek 
through  Strasburg  to  Fisher's  Hill.  A  part  of  our  in- 
fantry reached  Strasburg,  but  the  main  army  bivouacked 
in  the  old  camp  along  Cedar  Creek.  The  cavalry  dashed 
through  Strasburg  to  Fisher's  Hill,  and  there  the  victori- 
ous march  terminated.  The  enemy  subsequently  retired 
upon  Newmarket,  abandoning  almost  every  thing  in  their 
flight.  The  total  losses,  exclusive  of  recaptures,  were  as 
follows :  Early's  loss  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners 
was  stated  by  the  enemy  to  be  less  than  twelve  hundred, 
but  was  in  reality  far  greater.  He  lost  in  prisoners  alone 
over  sixteen  hundred  men.  He  also  lost  twenty-three 
cannon,  besides  all  those  captured  by  him  in  the  morning, 
and  a  few  caissons.  The  other  losses,  wagons,  &c.,  ex- 
clusive of  recaptures,  were  small.  A  part  of  the  medical 
stores  of  each  side  was  captured  by  the  other.  Our  losses 
were  about  six  thousand  five  hundred  men,  including 
over  fifteen  hundred  prisoners.  The  official  statement  of 
losses  in  the  Sixth  and  Nineteenth  Corps  made  them 
about  five  thousand  five  hundred  in  all.  The  official  es- 
timates of  those  in  the  Eighth  Corps  put  them  at  about 
eight  hundred  and  fifty.  Among  the  rebel  dead  was 
General  Ramseur. 

Early,  having  retired  upon  Newmarket  and  intrenched 
there,  began  to  recuperate  with  that  energy  for  which  he 


niSTOKY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1097 

was  conspicuous.  His  cavalry  began  at  once  to  scour  the 
Luray  Valley,  under  Lomax,  whence  Sheridan's  Cavalry 
failed  to  draw  him.  By  the  20th  of  October  he  again 
showed  signs  of  an  advance,  by  throwing  forward  a  strong 
cavalry  force,  while  Breckinridge,  having  relieved  Echols 
in  Southwestern  Virginia,  was  reorganizing  a  force  there 
with  a  view  to  support  Early.  Sheridan  was  also  drill- 
ing, clothing,  and  organizing  his  men,  while  Mosby  and 
Imboden's  troopers  were  so  busy  on  his  flanks  that  it  re- 
quired a  strong  force  along  the  lines  to  protect  the  com- 
munications. . 

In  the  first  week  of  November  the  enemy's  demonstra- 
tions were  more  marked,  and  his  cavalry  under  Rosser 
threatened  Sheridan's  communications  north  of  Winches- 
ter. On  the  morning  of  the  7th,  Sheridan  broke  up  his 
camp  and  fell  back  to  Newtown,  four  and  one-half  miles 
distant  on  the  turnpike,  and  about  nine  miles  south  of 
Winchester.  The  Nineteenth  Corps  was  on  the  right  of 
the  pike  in  advance,  the  Sixth  on  the  left,  and  the  wagon 
trains  between  them  on  the  road.  The  artillery  followed, 
and  the  Eighth  Corps  brought  up  the  rear.  The  cavalry 
covered  the  flanks  and  rear.  The  retrograde  movement 
continued  next  day  along  the  pike  from  Newtown  to 
Kearnstown,  four  miles  south  of  Winchester.  On  the  after- 
noon of  Friday,  the  llth,  Lomax's  Cavalry,  who  had  been 
following  us,  pressed  severely  against  the  cavalry  divisions 
of  Custer  and  Merritt,  in  reconnoitring,  and  drove  them  in. 
Our  army  was  then  in  line  at  Kearnstown.  After  a  sharp 
skirmish  the  enemy  was  forced  to  retire.  Next  morning, 
the  12th,  Lomax  again  attacked  our  cavalry,  driving  in 
our  pickets.  On  reaching  our  main  force,  he  was  repulsed 
after  a  protracted  engagement.  Powell's  Division  then 
pursued  him  to  Front  Royal,  and  captured  two  guns  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men.  The  fighting  was  spirited, 
and  our  losses  were  considerable.  Early  subsequently 
advanced  his  army  and  again  occupied  Fisher's  Hill  with 
about  fifteen  thousand  men.  On  the  21st  of  November 
he  occupied  Mount  Jackson  and  Newmarket  with  his  in- 
fantry, with  his  cavalry  thrown  forward  from  his  right. 
In  the  first  week  in  December  the  Sixth  Corps  left  the 
Valley  to  re-enforce  Grant,  as  did  also  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  Sheridan's  infantry.  In  the  same  way  Lee  was 


1098 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GKEAT   EEBELLION. 


re-enforced  by  Kershaw  and  other  troops  from  Early,  leav- 
ing but  a  few  thousand  men  at  Newmarket.  Both  armies 
thenceforth  remained  quiet  for  some  months. 

During  the  first  week  in  December,  Merritt's  (First) 
Cavalry  Division  crossed  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  made  a 
grand  raid  through  the  upper  parts  of  Loudon  and  Fau- 
quier  Counties,  which  were  the  chief  haunts  of  Mosby 
and  his  men.  Every  thing  was  laid  waste — barns,  houses, 
farms,  and  mills ;  many  cattle  were  captured,  and  others 
slaughtered  and  burned.  Unfortunately,  not  a  few  Union 
citizens  suffered  the  loss  of  every  thing  in  the  general 
destruction.  The  raid  was  in  accordance  with  the  policj7 
initiated  by  Grant  and  Sheridan,  and  its  results,  officially 
reported,  are  as  follows : — 


PROPERTY   CAPTURED. 

First  Second  Reserve 

Brigade.  Brigade.  Brigade. 

Horses 147  235  86 

Mules 4  4  .... 

Cattle 2,563  2,483  474 

Sheep 3,607  2,130  100 

Swine 1,033  110               

PROPERTY   DESTROYED. 

Barns 474  464  230 

Mills 19  22  8 

Factories 2  .... 

Distilleries.... 141 

Tons  of  Hay 17,620  10,000 

Bushels  of  Wheat 26,500  25,000 

Bushels  of  Corn 5,400  57,500 

Bushels  of  Oats 2,000 

Haystacks 990  131 

TV'heatstacks 57 

Tanneries 1  .... 

Stacks  of  Grain 104  .... 

Estimated  value  of  property  destroyed  and  captured 

the  First  Bi  igade,  Colonel  Stagg 

Second  Brigade,  General  Devin 

Eeserve  Brigade 


Total. 

388 
8 

5,520 
5,837 
1,141 


1,168 

49 

2 

6 

27,620 

51,500 

62,900 

2,000 

.1,121 

57 

1 

104 

.$857,716 
.1,239,520 
.  411,520 


Total $2,508,756 

Perhaps  the  statement  of  a  rebel  commissioner  of  the 
revenue  in  Shenandoah  County,  made  about  the  same 
time,  will  give  a  clearer  idea  of  Sheridan's  previous 
cavalry  operations  in  that  county  alone.  He  says : — 

"I  will  now  try  and  give  you  some  idea  of  the  damage  done  in  part  of 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1099 

this  county  by  the  Yankees,  in  the  way  of  burning  of  barns,  mills,  &c.  I 
have  been  over  nearly  the  whole  of  my  district,  comprising  all  the  upper 
end  of  the  county,  from  Narrow  Passage  Creek  to  Rockingham  County 
line,  and  I  find  there  have  been  burned  by  Sheridan's  army  two  hundred 
and  fifteen  barns,  eighteen  dwellings,  eleven  grist  mills,  nine  water  saw- 
mills, two  steam  sawmills,  one  furnace  two  forges,  one  fulling  mill,  one 
carding  machine,  besides  a  number  of  smaller  buildings,  such  as  stables,  &c. 
The  quantity  of  grain  destroyed  is  immense.  I  cannot  give  you  any  idea 
of  the  amount  of  grain,  hay,  fodder,  &c..  destroyed,  but  the  quantity  is  very 
large." 


1100  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 


CHAPTEE    LXIX. 

Political  Parties. — Elections  of  1862. — Organization  and  Strength  of  the 
Peace  Party. — Banishment  of  Vallancligham. — Ohio  Election. — Political 
Reaction  in  Favor  of  the  Administration.  —  Thirty-eighth  Congress. — 
President's  Plan  of  Reconstruction. — Amendment  to  the  Constitution.— - 
Presidential  Canvass  of  1864. — Conventions  at  Baltimore  and  Chicago. — 
Nomination  of  Lincoln  and  McClellan. — Result  of  the  Election. — Peace 
Negotiations. — Colonel  Jaques. — The  Niagara  Falls  Correspondence. 

THE  failure  of  the  Peninsular  campaign  of  1862,  fol- 
lowed by  the  defeat  of  Pope  in  the  second  Bull  Hun 
campaign,  the  invasion  of  Maryland  by  Lee,  and  the  in- 
decisive battle  of  Antietam,  together  with  the  aggressive 
strength  exhibited  by  the  rebels  in  the  West  by  the  inva- 
sion of  Kentucky  under  Bragg,  all  conspired  to  bring  the 
Administration  into  temporary  disfavor;  and  in  the  fall 
elections  of  1862,  several  of  the  States,  including  New 
York,  which  had  given  large  majorities  for  Lincoln  two 
years  previous,  were  carried  by  the  opposition.  The 
gains  of  Congressmen  made  by  the  latter  in  these  elec- 
tions threatened  to  neutralize,  and  perhaps  considerably 
overcome,  the  Administration  majority  in  Congress.  In- 
capacity, wastefulness,  corruption,  and  imbecility  were 
freely  charged  upon  the  President  and  his  constitutional 
advisers ;  but  the  most  serious  objection  urged  against 
the  Administration  was  its  alleged  unconstitutional  me- 
thod of  conducting  the  war.  Confiscation,  arbitrary 
arrests,  conscription,  the  emancipation  of  slaves  belonging 
to  rebels,  and  similar  forcible  measures  initiated  by  Gov- 
ernment, for  which  it  was  insisted  there  was  no  warrant 
afforded  in  the  Constitution,  were  alike  condemned  by 
the  opposition,  who  contended  that  the  war  could  be  car- 
ried to  a  successful  completion  without  resort  to  so  radical 
a  policy,  and  that  in  point  of  fact  it  had  better  be  termi- 
nated at  once  than  conducted  unconstitutionally.  The 
political  contest  of  1862  may,  therefore,  be  considered  to 
nave  shown  in  some  degree  a  public  dissatisfaction  with  the 
course  of  the  Administration  during  the  year,  though  it  can- 


HISTORY    OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  1101 

not  be  doubted  also  that  military  reverses  had  much  to  do 
in  causing  that  dissatisfaction.  With  those  who  claimed  to 
be  superior  to  such  accidental  influences  as  success  or  de- 
feat, the  emancipation  proclamation  of  September  was  a 
sufficient  reason  for  trying  to  overthrow  the  Administra- 
tion in  Congress,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  it  looked  as 
if  their  efforts  might  be  rewarded  with  success.  It  is 
worthy  of  note,  however,  that  in  those  States  in  which 
the  soldiers  were  allowed  to  vote,  the  Republican  suprem- 
acy was  easily  maintained.  This  was  notably  the  *case 
in  Iowa,  where  the  soldiers'  vote  enabled  the  Republicans 
to  return  their  full  delegation  to  Congress. 

The  year  1863  opened  with  no  favorable  prospects  for 
the  National  cause,  and  the  repulses  before  Fredericks- 
burg  and  Charleston,  and  the  defeat  at  Chancellorsville, 
followed  by  the  second  invasion  of  Maryland,  seemed  to 
presage  further  losses  for  the  Administration.  The  op- 
position had  meanwhile  been  busy  in  other  ways.  Un- 
deterred by  the  assertions  of  Government  that  its  action 
in  arresting  suspected  persons,  at  a  time  when  the  country 
swarmed  with  spies  and  secret  traitors,  was  utterly  dis- 
interested, and  by  its  efforts  to  release  all  prisoners  against 
whom  no  evidence  of  treasonable  intent  could  be  brought ; 
regardless  also  of  the  act  of  Congress  sanctioning  the  action 
of  the  President  in  suspending  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus, 
and  clothing  him  with  full  authority  to  check  and  punish 
all  attempts  to  defeat  the  efforts  of  the  Government  in 
the  prosecution  of  the  war,  the  leaders  of  the  opposition 
busied  themselves  with  promoting  public  dissatisfaction 
and  demanding  that  the  war  should  be  brought  to  a  close. 
While  many  were  sincere  in  believing  that  the  evils  which 
sprang  from  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war  were  worse 
than  secession  itself,  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  many- 
were  also  influenced  by  a  factious,  partisan  spirit,  which 
prompted  them  to  rejoice  in  the  humiliation  of  their 
country,  provided  the  overthrow  of  their  political  oppo- 
nents could  be  thereby  secured.  The  latter  branch  of 
the  opposition  formed  the  nucleus  around  which  rallied 
a  party  whose  watchword  was  "  Peace  on  any  Terms," 
and  whose  numbers  were  swelled  by  the  whole  disloyal 
element  in  the  North,  and  by  various  secret  organizations 
formed  to  promote  the  independence  of  the  "  Southern 
Confederacy,"  of  which  the  K.  G.  C.'s,  or  "  Knights  of 


1102  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 

the  Golden  Circle,"  were  the  most  conspicuous.  One  of 
the  most  active  advocates  of  peace  with  the  rebel  Confed- 
eracy was  Clement  L.  Vallandigham,  a  Democratic  mem- 
ber of  Congress  from  Ohio,  who,  after  the  adjournment 
of  the  Thirty-seventh  Congress,  made  public  speeches  in 
his  congressional  district,  denouncing  and  counselling 
resistance  to  the  draft,  which  was  about  to  be  enforced. 
He  charged  the  Government  at  Washington  with  aiming, 
under  the  pretext  of  restoring  the  Union,  to  crush  out 
liberty  and  establish  a  despotism,  and  with  deliberately 
rejecting  propositions  by  which  the  Southern  States  could 
have  been  brought  back  to  the  Union.  He  also  de- 
nounced Order  No,  38,  issued  by  General  Burnside,  then 
commanding  the  Department  of  the  Ohio,  forbidding 
certain  disloyal  practices,  and  announced  his  intention  to 
disobey  it,  at  the  same  time  calling  upon  the  people  who 
heard  him  to  resist  and  defeat  its  execution,  lor  this 
conduct  he  was  tried  before  a  court-martial,  in  May,  1863, 
and  sentenced  to  beplaced  in  close  confinement  within 
some  fortress  of  the  United  States.  The  President  modi- 
fied this  sentence  by  directing  that,  instead  of  being  im- 
prisoned, Vallandigham  should  be  sent  within  the  rebel 
lines,  and  should  not  return  to  the  United  States  until 
after  the  termination  of  the  war.  This  sentence  was  at 
once  carried  into  execution. 

Vallandigham,  after  passing  some  time  in  Richmond, 
escaped  in  a  blockade-runner  to  British  America,  where 
he  remained  some  tune,  finding  abundant  sympathy  from 
the  rebel  refugees  in  Canada.  His  trial  and  banishment 
caused  no  little  excitement  throughout  the  country,  and 
by  his  party  he  was  regarded  as  a  martyr.  Meetings 
were  held  to  protest  against  the  action  of  the  Govern- 
ment, and  the  Democratic  State  Convention  of  Ohio 
finally  capped  the  climax  by  nominating  him  as  its  can- 
didate for  Governor  in  the  ensuing  State  election.  The 
Republican,  or  Union  party,  as  it  was  now  called,  nomi- 
nated for  the  same  office  John  Brough,  a  former  Demo- 
crat, but  a  man  pledged  in  the  most  emphatic  manner  to 
support  the  Government  in  its  efforts  to  suppress  the 
rebellion.  Thus  the  issue  was  joined  between  the  oppo- 
nents of  the  Administration  and  those  who,  believing  that 
its  measures  were  proper  and  effective,  lent  it  their  hearty 
support,  and,  in  consequence,  the  Ohio  election  was 


HISTORY   OF  THE  GKEAT   REBELLION.  1103 

watched  with  absorbing  interest  by  the  whole  country. 
By  a  special  law  of  the  State  its  citizens,  absent  in  the 
military  service  of  the.  country,  were  permitted  to  vote 
for  State  officers,  and  the  soldiers'  vote,  it  was  claimed, 
would  be  cast  almost  unanimously  for  Brough. 

Meanwhile,  with  the  commencement  of  July  occurred 
another  turn  in  the  tide  of  the  war.  The  battle  of 
Gettysburg  and  the  ignominious  ending  of  Lee's  inva- 
sion of  the  North,  and  the  capture  of  Yicksburg  and 
Port  Hudson,  followed  by  the  opening  of  the  Mississippi 
to  commerce,  restored  the  prestige  of  the  Union  arms, 
and  the  prospect  of  subduing  the  Confederacy  seemed 
more  hopeful  than  ever  before.  With  this  happy  change 
in  military  prospects,  the  friends  of  the  Administration, 
and  all  those  persons  in  favor  of  a  vigorous  prosecution 
of  the  war,  shook  off  their  despondency,  and  began  to 
gather  energy  for  the  political  contest  of  the  year.  The 
riotous  proceedings  in  New  York,  Boston,  and  elsewhere, 
against  the  enforcement  of  the  draft,  by  repealing  the 
existence  of  a  powerful  secession  element  at  work  to  op- 
pose the  Government,  strengthened  the  Administration 
party,  and  the  fall  elections  of  1863  witnessed  a  complete 
reversal  of  the  popular  verdict  declared  a  year  previous. 
Yallandigham  was  defeated  in  Ohio  by  the  unprecedented 
majority  of  one  hundred  thousand  in  favor  of  Brough, 
the  soldiers'  vote  being  almost  unanimous  for  the  latter, 
and  the  great  States  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania 
elected  the  Union  candidates  for  office  by  large  majorities. 
Such  was  the  reaction  in  favor  of  the  Administration  that 
it  secured  enough  of  the  remaining  members  of  Congress 
to  be  elected  to  give  it- a  majority  of  about  twenty  in  the 
next  House  of  Representatives.  The  result  of  the  can- 
vass was  that  every  State,  except  New  Jersey,  voted  to 
sustain  the  Administration.  The  ground  taken  by  its 
friends  was  that  held  by  the  President  from  the  beginning 
— that  the  rebellion  must  be  suppressed,  and  the  Union 
preserved  at  whatever  cost — that  this  could  only  be  done 
by  force,  and  that  it  was  both  the  right  and  the  duty  of 
the  Government  to  use  all  the  means  at  its  command, 
which  were  commonly  exercised  in  time  of  war,  to  accom- 
plish this  object.  The  result  was,  therefore,  justly  claimed 
as  a  decided  verdict  in  favor  of  the  Administration,  and 
thenceforth  the  determination  of  the  vast  majority  of  the 


1104:  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

people  to  prosecute  the  'war  to  a  successful  completion 
remained  unshaken,  in  spite  of  reverses  which  caused 
temporary  depression,  of  conscriptions  which  drew  fear- 
fully upon  the  able-bodied  industrial  population  of  the 
country,  and  of  taxation  which  surpassed  the  wildest  pre- 
dictions made  by  alarmists  at  the  commencement  of  the 
struggle. 

The  Thirty-eighth  Congress  convened  at  Washington, 
December,  1863,  and  was  organized  by  the  election  of 
Schuyler  Colfax,  a  Republican  member  from  Indiana,  as 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  In  his  annual 
message,  President  Lincoln  proposed  a  plan  of  reconstruc- 
tion for  the  revolted  States,  which  is  fully  set  forth  in  the 
following  proclamation : — 

PROCLAMATION. 

"  Wiereas,  In  and  by  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  it  is  provided 
that  the  President  shall  have  power  to  grant  reprieves  and  pardons  for  of- 
fences against  the  United  States,  except  in  cases  of  impeachment — and 
whereas,  a  rebellion  now  exists,  whereby  the  loyal  State  Governments  of 
several  States  have  for  a  long  time  been  subverted,  and  many  persons  have 
committed  and  arc  now  guilty  of  treason  against  the  United  States ;  and 

"  Whereas,  With  reference  to  said  rebellion  and  treason,  laws  have  been 
enacted  by  Congress,  declaring  forfeitures  and  confiscation  of  property  and 
liberation  of  slaves,  all  upon  terms  and  conditions  therein  stated,  and  also 
declaring  that  the  President  was  thereby  authorized  at  any  time  thereafter, 
by  proclamation,  to  extend  to  persons  who  may  have  participated  in  the  ex- 
isting rebellion  in  any  State  or  part  thereof,  pardon  and  amnesty,  with  such 
exceptions  and  at  such  times  and  on  such  conditions  as  he  may  deem  expe- 
dient for  the  public  welfare ;  and 

"  Whereas,  The  Congressional  declaration  for  limited  and  conditional  par- 
don accords  with  the  well-established  judicial  exposition  of  the  pardoning 
power;  and 

"  Whereas,  With  reference  to  the  said  rebellion,  the  President  of  the 
United  States  has  issued  several  proclamations  with  provisions  in  regard  to 
the  liberation  of  slaves ;  and 

"  Whereas,  It  is  now  desired  by  some  persons  heretofore  engaged  in  said 
rebellion  to  resume  their  allegiance  to  the  United  States,  and  to  reinaugu- 
rate  loyal  State  Governments  within  and  for  their  respective  States:  there- 
fore, 

"I,  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,  President  of  the  United  States,  do  proclaim,  de- 
clare, and  make  known  to  all  persons  who  have  directly  or  by  implication 
participated  in  the  existing  rebellion,  except  as  hereinafter  excepted,  that  a 
full  pardon  is  hereby  granted  to  them  and  each  of  them,  with  restoration  of 
all  rights  of  property,  except  as  to  slaves,  and  in  property  cases  where  rights 
of  third  parties  shall  have  intervened,  and  upon  condition  that  every  such 
person  shall  take  and  subscribe  an  oath  and  thenceforward  keep  and  main- 
tain said  oath  inviolate,  an  oath  which  shall  be  registered  for  permanent 
preservation,  and  shall  be  of  the  tenor  and  effect  following,  to  wit : 

« « ^ f  do  solemnly  swear,  in  presence  of  Almighty  God,  that 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION".  1105 

/ 

Twill  henceforth  faithfully  support,  protect,  and  defend  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  and  the  Union  of  the  States  thereunder;  and  that  in  like 
manner  I  will  abide  by  and  faithfully  support  all  acts  of  Congress  passed 
during  the  existing  rebellion  with  reference  to  slaves,  so  long  and  so  far  as 
not  repealed,  modified,  or  held  void  by  Congress  or  by  decision  of  the  Su- 
preme Court ;  and  that  I  will  in  like  manner  abide  by  and  faithfully  support 
all  proclamations  of  the  President  made  during  the  existing  rebellion  having 
reference  to  slaves,  so  long  and  so  far  as  not  modified  or  declared  void  by 
decision  of  the  Supreme  Court.  So  help  me  God.' 

"  The  persons  excepted  from  the  benefits  of  the  foregoing  provisions  are : 
all  who  are,  or  shall  have  been  civil  or  diplomatic  officers  or  agents  of  the 
so-called  Confederate  Government ;  all  who  have  left  judicial  stations  under 
the  United  State*  to  aid  the  rebellion ;  all  who  are,  or  shall  have  been  mili- 
tary or  naval  officers  of  said  so-called  Confederate  Government,  above  the 
rank  of  colonel  in  the  army,  or  of  lieutenant  in  the  navy ;  all  who  left  seats 
in  the  United  States  Congress  to  aid  the  rebellion ;  all  who  resigned  com- 
missions in  the  army  or  navy  of  the  United  States,  and  afterwards  aided 
the  rebellion ;  and  all  who  have  engaged  in  any  way  in  treating  colored 
persons,  or  white  persons  in  charge  of  such,  otherwise  than  lawfully  as 
prisoners  of  war,  and  which  persons  may  have  been  found  in  the  United 
States  service  as  soldiers,  seamen,  or  any  other  capacity ;  and  I  do  further 
proclaim,  declare,  and  make  known  that,  whenever,  in  any  of  the  States  of 
Arkansas,  T^as,  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Tennessee,  Alabama,  Georgia, 
Florida,  SoU^^Carolina,  and  North  Carolina,  a  number  of  persons  not  less 
than  one-tenth  in  number  of  the  votes  cast  in  such  States  at  the  Presiden- 
tial election  of  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty, 
each  having  taken  the  oath  aforesaid,  and  not  having  since  violated  it,  and 
being  a  qualified  voter  by  the  election  law  of  the  State  existing  immediately 
before  the  so-called  act  of  secession,  and  excluding  all  others,  shall  re- 
establish a  State  Government  which  shall  be  republican,  and  in  nowise 
contravening  said  oath,  such  shall  be  recognized  as  the  true  government 
of  the  State,  and  the  State  shall  receive  thereunder  the  benefits  of  the 
constitutional  provision  which  declares  that 

"  '  The  United  States  shall  guarantee  to  every  State  in  this  Union  a  re- 
publican form  of  government,  and  shall  protect  each  of  them  against  inva- 
sion, and  on  application  of  the  Legislature,  or  the  Executive,  when  tha 
Legislature  cannot  be  convened,  against  domestic  violence.' 

"And  I  do  further  proclaim  and  make  known  that  any  provision  which 
may  be  adopted  by  such  State  Government  in  relation  to  the  freed  people- 
of  such  State,  which  shall  recognize  and  declare  their  permanent  freedom, 
provide  for  their  education,  and  which  may  yet  be  consistent,  as  a  tempo- 
rary arrangement,  with  their  present  condition  as  a  laboring,  landless,  and 
homeless  class,  will  not  be  objected  to  by  the  National  Executive. 

"  And  it  is  suggested  as  not  improper  that,  in  constructing  a  loyal  State 
Government  in  any  State,  the  name  of  the  State,  the  boundary,  the  subdi- 
visions, the  Constitution,  and  the  general  code  of  laws,  as  before  the  rebel- 
lion, be  maintained,  subject  only  to  the  modifications  made  necessary  by  the 
conditions  herein  before  stated,  and  such  others,  if  any,  not  contravening 
said  conditions,  and  which  may  be  deemed  expedient  by  those  framing  the 
new  State  Government.  To  avoid  misunderstanding,  it  may  be  proper  to 
say  that  tliis  proclamation,  so  far  as  it  relates  to  State  Governments,  has  no 
reference  to  States  wherein  loyal  State  Governments  have  all  the  while 
been  maintained;  and  for  the  same  reason  it  may  be  proper  to  further  say, 
that  whether  members  sent  to  Congress  from  any  State,  shall  be  admitted^ 
to  seats,  constitutionally  rests  exclusively  with  the  respective  Houses,  and. 
not  to  any  extent  with  the  Executive.  And  still  further;  that  this  procla- 
68 


1106  HISTORY   OF  THE   GKEAT   REBELLION. 

mation  is  intended  to  present  the  people  of  the  States  wherein  the  national 
authority  has  been  suspended,  and  loyal  State  Governments  have  been  sub- 
verted, a  mode  in  and  by  which  the  national  authority  and  loyal  State  Gov- 
ernments may  be  re-established  within  said  States,  or  in  any  of  them. 
And,  while  the  mode  presented  is  the  best  the  Executive  can  suggest  with 
his-  present  impressions,  it  must  not  be  understood  that  no  other  possible 
mode  would  be  acceptable. 

"  Given  under  my  hand  at  the  City  of  "Washington,  the  eighth  day  of 
December,  A.  D.  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-three,  and  of 
the  independence  of  the  United  States  of  America  the  eighty -eighth. 
"  By  the  President :  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

"  WM.  H.  SEWAED,  Secretary  of  State." 

• 

In  two  States  only,  Louisiana  and  Arkansas,  was  the 
experiment  of  reconstruction  on  the  basis  here  proposed 
tested,  and  in  neither  of  them  can  it  be  said  to  have  had 
entire  success.  The  project  proved  distasteful  to  radical 
members  of  the  Administration  party,  and  circumstances 
prevented  its  being  applied  in  more  instances  than  those 
cited.  Just  before  the  adjournment  of  Congress  in  July, 
a  bill  was  passed  to  "  guarantee  to  certain  Sfctfes  whose 
governments  have  been  usurped  or  overthrow^  a  repub- 
lican form  of  government."  This  bill  provided  for  the 
:8|ppointment  of  a  provisional  governor  in  each  State,  and, 
:as  soon  as  military  resistance  had  ceased  and  the  people 
.returned  to  obedience,  an  enrolment  to  be  made  of  all 
white  male  citizens,  designating  those  who  take  and  those 
\tfho  refuse  the  oath  of  allegiance.  If  those  who  take  the 
oath  ;are  a  majority,  the  governor  shall  invite  the  people 
to  eleet  a  convention  to  re-establish  their  State  Govern- 
mentim  conformity  with  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
;  States.  The  bill  provided  the  mode  of  electing  and  as- 
sembling such  conventions,  and  enacted  the  following 
restrictions  upon  their  action :  "  That  the  convention 
: shall  declare,  on  behalf  of  the  people  of  the  State,,  their 
; submission  to  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  United 
:Statesvand  shall  adopt  the  following  provisions,  hereby 
^prescribed  by  the  United  States  in  the  execution  of  the 
.•constitutional  -duty  to  guarantee  a  republican  form  of 
-government  to  every  State,  and  incorporate  them  in  the 
.constitution  of  the  State,  that  is  to  say  :  First — No  per- 
,son  who  has  :held  or  exercised  any  office,  civil  or  military, 
^except  offices  merely  ministerial,  and  military  offices  below 
the  grade  of  colonel,  State  or  Confederate,  under  the 
usurping  power,  shall  vote  for  or  be  a  member  of  the  leg- 
islature, or  governor.  Second — Involuntary  servitude  is 


HISTORY    OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1107 

forever  prohibited,  and  the  freedom  of  all  persons  is  guar- 
anteed in  said  State.  Third — No  debt,  State  or  Confed- 
erate, created  by  or  under  the  sanction  of  the  usurping 
power,  shall  Be  recognized  or  paid  by  the  State."  Con- 
stitutions made  or  amended  by  these  conventions  were  to 
be  submitted  to  the  people,  "  and  if  a  majority  of  the  votes 
cast  shall  be  for  the  constitution  and  form  of  government, 
he  shall  certify  the  same,  with  a  copy  thereof,  to  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  who,  after  obtaining  the 
assent  of  Congress,  shall,  by  proclamation,  recognize  the 
government  so  established,  and  none  other,  as  the  consti- 
tutional government  of  the  State,  and  from  the  date  of 
such  recognition,  and  not  before,  Senators  and  Repre- 
sentatives, and  electors  for  President  and  Vice-President, 
may  be  elected  in  such  State,  according  to  the  laws  of 
the  State  and  the  United  States."  In  case  the  conven- 
tions refused  to  establish  governments  in  accordance  with 
this  act,  the  governors  were  to  dissolve  them  and  order 
new  elections.  It  was  also  enacted  that  until  the  United 
States  shall  have  recognized  a  republican  form  of  State 
Government,  the  provisional  governor  in  each  of  said 
States  shall  see  that  this  act,  and  the  laws  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  laws  of  the  State  in  force  when  the  State 
Government  was  overthrown  by  the  rebellion,  are  faith- 
fully executed  within  the  State;  but  no  law  or  usage 
whereby  any  person  was  heretofore  held  in  involuntary 
servitude  shall  be  recognized  or  enforced  by  any  court  or 
officer  in  such  State,  and  the  laws  for  the  trial  and  pun- 
ishment of  white  persons  shall  extend  to  all  persons,  and 
jurors  shall  have  the  qualifications  of  voters  under  this  law 
for  delegates  to  the  convention.  That  until  the  recogni- 
tion of  a  State  Government  the  provisional  government 
shall  cause  to  be  assessed,  levied,  and  collected,  for  the 
year  1864,  and  every  year  thereafter,  the  taxes  provided 
by  the  laws  of  such  State,  to  be  levied  during  the  fiscal 
year  preceding  the  overthrow  of  the  -State  Government. 
That  all  persons  held  to  involuntary  servitude  or  labor  in 
the  States  aforesaid  are  hereby  emancipated  and  discharged 
therefrom,  and  they  and  their  posterity  shall  be  forever 
free.  And  if  any  such  persons  or  their  posterity  shall  be 
restrained  of  liberty,  under  pretence  of  any  claim  to  such 
service  or  labor,  the  courts  of  the  United  States  shall,  on 
habeas  corpus,  discharge  them.  That  if  any  person  de- 


1108  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

clared  free  by  this  act,  or  any  law  of  the  United  States,  or 
any  proclamation  by  the  President,  be  restrained  of  liber- 
ty, with  intent  to  be  held  in  or  reduced  to  involuntary 
servitude  or  labor,  the  person  convicted  before  a  court  of 
competent  jurisdiction  of  such  act  shall  be  punished  by 
fine  of  not  less  than  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and  be  im- 
prisoned not  less  than  five  nor  more  than  twenty  years. 
That  every  person  who  shall  hereafter  hold  or  exercise  any 
office,  civil  or  military,  except  offices  merely  ministerial, 
and  military  offices  below  the  grade  of  colonel,  in  the  rebel 
service,  State  or  Confederate,  is  hereby  declared  not  to  be 
a  citizen  of  the  United  States. 

This  act  the  President  did  not  sign,  but  gave  it  publi- 
cation by  a  proclamation,  in  which  he  said :  "  That  while 
I  am  (as  I  was  in  December  last,  when  by  proclamation 
I  propounded  a  plan  for  restoration)  unprepared,  by  a 
formal  approval  of  this  bill,  to  be  inflexibly  committed  to 
any  single  plan  of  restoration  ;  and,  while  I  am  also  un- 
prepared to  declare  that  the  free  State  constitutions  and 
governments  already  adopted  and  installed  in  Arkansas 
and  Louisiana  shall  be  set  aside  and  held  for  naught, 
thereby  repelling  and  discouraging  the  loyal  citizens  who 
have  set  up  the  same  as  to  further  effort,  or  to  declare  a 
constitutional  competency  in  Congress  to  abolish  slavery 
in  States,  but  am  at  the  same  time  sincerely  hoping  and 
expecting  that  a  constitutional  amendment,  abolishing 
slavery  throughout  the  nation,  may  be  adopted,  neverthe- 
less I  am  fully  satisfied  with  the  system  for  restoration 
contained  in  the  bill  as  one  very  proper  plan  for  the  loyal 
people  of  any  State  choosing  to  adopt  it,  and  that  I  am  and 
at  all  times  shall  be,  prepared  to  give  the  Executive  aid 
and  assistance  to  any  such  people,  so  soon  as  the  military 
resistance  to  the  United  States  shall  have  been  suppressed 
in^any  such  State,  and  the  people  thereof  shall  have  suf- 
ficiently returned  to  their  obedience  to  the  Constitution 
and  laws  of  the  United  States,  in  which  cases  military 
governors  will  be  appointed,  with,  directions  to  proceed 
according  to  the  bill. 

The  enrolment  and  conscription  bill  was  amended  by 
this  Congress  in  several  particulars,  and  that  clause  in  the, 
original  bill  which  permitted  drafted  persons  to  be  ex- 
empted from  service  by  the  payment  o'f  three  hundred 
dollars  into  the  national  treasury  was  repealed.  JSTegro 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1109 

soldiers,  of  whom  one  hundred  thousand  were  enlisted  in 
1864,  were  placed  on  an  equal  footing  with  white  soldiers 
in  respect  to  pay  and  other  matters,  and  a  Bureau  of 
Freedmen's  Affairs  was  established,  which  should  deter- 
mine all  questions  relating  to  persons  of  African  descent, 
and  make  regulations  for  their  employment  and  proper 
treatment  on  abandoned  plantations.  Finally,  to  silence 
the  cavillings  of  those  persons  who  denounced  the  Presi- 
dent's emancipation  proclamation  as  unconstitutional,  a 
resolution  was  adopted  to  submit  to  the  action  of  the  seve- 
ral States  an  amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  prohibiting  the  existence  of  slavery  within  the 
States  and  Territories  of  the  Union  forever.  This  met 
with  much  opposition  from  members  of  the  border  Slave 
States,  who  declared  it  was  a  palpable  violation  of  State 
rights  for  the  people  thus  to  interfere  with  any  thing 
which  State  laws  declare  to  be  property.  But  the  objec- 
tion was  met  by  Senator  Reverdy  Johnson,  of  Maryland, 
who  argued  that  when  the  Constitution  was  originally 
framed  this  prohibition  might  have  been  embodied  in  it, 
and  that  it  was  competent  for  the  States  to  do  now  what- 
ever they  might  have  done  then.  To  secure  an  amend- 
ment to  the  Constitution,  it  is  necessary,  after  it  has  been 
adopted  by  a  two-thirds  vote  in  both  houses  of  Congress, 
that  it  should  be  ratified  by  the  legislatures  of  two-thirds 
of  the  States ;  and  the  question  was  seriously  agitated 
whether  two-thirds  of  the  loyal  States  would  not  be  suf- 
ficient in  the  present  instance.  In  order,  however,  to  be 
within  the  strict  letter  of  the  law,  it  was  determined  to 
follow  the  constitutional  provision  literally.  The  amend- 
ment has  since  been  ratified  by  the  requisite  number  of 
States ;  and,  proclamation  to  that  effect  having  been  duly 
made  by  the  Secretary  of  State,  it  is  therefore  now  a  part 
of  the  Constitution. 

The  spring  of  1864,  which  witnessed  the  commence- 
ment and  progress  of  the  momentous  campaigns  of  Grant 
and  Sherman,  was  destined  also  to  witness  a  political 
struggle  of  more  than  usual  acerbity.  The  peace  party 
had  now  become  fully  organized,  and,  despite  its  over- 
whelming defeat  in  the  previous  autumn,  hoped  through 
the  apparent  failure  of  the  military  plans  of  the  year,  and 
the  undoubted  and  wide-spread  desire  for  peace,  to  insure 
the  election  of  their  candidate  for  the  Presidency.  It  was 


1110  HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT   EEBELLIOX. 

« 

deemed  peculiarly  unfortunate  that  the  country  should  be 
involved  at  such  a  crisis  in  the  excitement  and  confusion 
ordinarily  attending  a  Presidential  election,  and  the  opin- 
ion prevailed  among  a  large  portion  of  the  people,  that 
the  canvass,  which  had  usually  commenced  after  the  nom- 
ination of  candidates  in  May  or  June,  should  be  post- 
poned until  the  autumn.  Strong  efforts  were  made  to 
have  the  Republican  nominating  convention  adjourned  to 
September  or  October ;  but  popular  impatience  could  not 
endure  so  long  a  delay,  and  on  June  7th  the  Convention 
met  at  Baltimore.  On  the  first  ballot  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  unanimously  renominated  for  President,  amid  unmis- 
takable demonstrations  of  enthusiasm,  and  subsequently 
Andrew  Johnson,  of  Tennesse,  formerly  a  United  States 
Senator  from  that  State,  and  since  1862  its  military  gov- 
ernor, was  nominated  for  Vice-President.  The  following 
is  the  platform  adopted  by  the  convention  : — 

"  Resolved,  That  it  is  the  highest  duty  of  every  American  citizen  to 
maintain  against  all  their  enemies  the  integrity  of  the  Union,  and  the 
paramount  authority  of  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  United  States, 
and  that,  laying  aside  all  differences  aad  political  opinions,  we  pledge  our- 
selves as  Union  men,  animated  by  a  common  sentiment,  and  aiming  at  a 
common  object,  to  do  every  thing  in  our  power  to  aid  the  Government  in 
quelling  by  force  of  arms  the  rebellion  now  raging  against  its  authority, 
and  in  bringing  to  the  punishment  due  to  their  crimes  the  rebels  and 
traitors  arrayed  against  it.  (Prolonged  applause.) 

"  Resolved,  That  we  approve  the  determination  of  the  Government  of 
the  United  States  not  to  compromise  with  rebels,  or  to  offer  any  terms  of 
peace  except  such  as  may  be  based  upon  an  "  unconditional  surrender  "  of 
their  hostility  and  a  return  to  their  just  allegiance  to  the  Constitution  and 
laws  of  the  United  States ;  and  that  we  call  upon  the  Government  to 
maintain  this  position,  and  to  prosecute  the  war  with  the  utmost  possible 
vigor  to  the  complete  suppression  of  the  rebellion,  in  full  reliance  upon  the 
self-sacrifices,  the  patriotism,  the  heroic  valor,  and  the  undying  devotion 
of  the  American  people  to  their  country  and  its  free  institutions.  (Ap- 
plause.) 

"Resolved,  That  as  Slavery  was  the  cause,  and  now  constitutes  the 
strength,  of  this  rebellion,  and  as  it  must  be  always  and  everywhere  hostile 
to  the  principles  'of  republican  government,  justice  and  the  national  safety 
demand  its  utter  and  complete  extirpation!  from  the  soil  of  the  republic 
(applause) ;  and  that  we  uphold  and  maintain  the  acts  and  proclamations 
by  which  the  Government,  in  its  own  defence,  has  aimed  a  death-blow  at 
this  gigantic  evil.  We  are  in  favor,  furthermore,  of  such  an  amendment 
to  the  Constitution,  to  be  made  by  the  people  in  conformity  with  its  provis- 
ions, as  shall  terminate  and  forever  prohibit  the  existence  of  Slavery  within 
the  limits  or  the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States.  (Applause.) 

"  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  American  people  are  due  to  the  soldiers 
and  sailors  of  the  army  and  the  navy  (applause),  who  have  perilled  their 
lives  in  defence  of  their  country,  and  in  vindication  of  the  honor  of  the 
flag ;  that  the  nation  owes  to  them  some  permanent  recognition  of  their 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1111 

patriotism  and  their  valor,  and  ample  and  permanent  provision  for  those 
of  their  survivors  who  have  received  disabling  and  honorable  wounds  in 
the  service  of  the  country ;  and  that  the  memories  of  those  who  have 
fallen  in  its  defence  shall  be  held  in  grateful  and  everlasting  remembrance. 
(Loud  applause.) 

"  Resolved,  That  we  approve  and  applaud  the  practical  wisdom,  the 
unselfish  patriotism,  and  unswerving  fidelity  to  the  Constitution  and  the 
principles  of  American  liberty,  with  which  Abraham  Lincoln  has  discharged, 
under  circumstances  of  unparalleled  difficulty,  the  great  duties  and  respon- 
sibilities of  the  Presidential  office ;  that  we  approve  and  indorse,  as  de- 
manded by  the  emergency  and  essential  to  the  preservation  of  the  nation, 
and  as  within  the  Constitution,  the  measures  and  acts  which  he  has  adopted 
to  defend  the  nation  against  its  open  and  secret  foes ;  thai  we  approve 
especially  the  proclamation  of  emancipation  and  the  employment  as  Union 
soldiers  of  men  heretofore  held  in  slavery  (applause) ;  and  that  we  have 
full  confidence  in  his  determination  to  carry  these  and  all  other  constitu- 
tional measures  essential  to  the  salvation  of  the  country  into  full  and 
complete  effect. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  deem  it  essential  to  the  general  welfare  that  harmony 
should  prevail  in  the  national  councils,  and  we  regard  as  worthy  of  public 
confidence  and  official  trust  those  only  who  cordially  indorse  the  principles 
proclaimed  in  these  resolutions,  and  which  should  characterize  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  Government.  (Applause.) 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Government  owes  to  all  men  employed  in  its  armies, 
without  regard  to  distinction  of  color,  the  full  protection  of  the  laws  of 
war  (applause),  and  that  any  violations  of  these  laws,  or  of  the  usages  of 
civilized  nations  in  the  time  of  war,  by  the  rebels,  now  in  arms,  should  be 
made  the  subject  of  full  and  prompt  redress.  (Prolonged  applause.) 

"  Resolved,  That  the  foreign  immigration  which  in  the  past  has  added  so 
much  to  the  wealth  and  development  of  resources  and  increase  of  power 
to  this  nation — the  asylum  of  the  oppressed  of  all  nations — should  be 
fostered  and  encouraged  by  a  liberal  and  just  policy. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  are  in  favor  of  the  speedy  construction  of  the  rail- 
road to  the  Pacific. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  national  faith  pledged  for  the  redemption  of  the 
public  debt  must  be  kept  inviolate,  and  that  for  this  purpose  we  recommend 
economy  and  rigid  responsibility  in  the  public  expenditures,  and  a  vigorous 
and  just  system  of  taxation ;  that  it  is  the  duty  of  every  loyal  State  to 
sustain  the  credit  and  promote  the  use  of  the  national  currency.  (Applause.) 

"  Resolred,  That  we  approve  the  position  taken  by  the  Government,  that 
the  people  of  the  United  States  can  never  regard  with  indifference  the 
attempt  of  any  European  Power  to  overthrow  by  force,  or  to  supplant  by 
fraud,  the  institutions  of  any  republican  government  on  the  Western  Con- 
tinent (prolonged  applause) ;  and  that  they  will  view  with  extreme  jealousy, 
as  menacing  to  the  peace  and  independence  of  this  our  country,  the 
efforts  of  any  such  Power  to  obtain  new  footholds  for  monarchical  govern- 
ments, sustained  by  a  foreign  military  force  in  near  proximity  to  the  United 
States.  (Long-continued  applause.)" 

The  nominations  were  generally  received  with  satisfac- 
tion by  the  Republican  party,  though  a  radical  section  of 
it  had  expressed  a  preference  for  Secretary  Chase  as  a 
candidate  for  the  Presidency.  The  name  of  Mr.  Johnson, 
who  was  of  Southern  birth,  but  had  been  from  the  com- 


1112  HISTOKY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

menceuient  of  the  war  thoroughly  identified  with  the 
Union  cause,  was  considered  to  give  great  strength  to  the 
ticket. 

The  opposition,  with  a  view  of  adding  to  the  strength 
of  their  party,  postponed  their  convention  to  the  29th  of 
August.  In  the  interval  between  the  meeting  of  the  Re- 
publican Convention  and  that  date,  many  events,  they 
supposed,  might  occur  to  increase  the  public  craving  for 
peace  and  compromise,  and  to  bring  into  discredit  the 
acts  and  policy  of  the  Administration.  The  move  was  a 
sagacious  one,  for  up  to  the  29th  of  August  the  progress 
of  the  National  arms  had  not  been  in  accordance  with 
public  expectation,  considering  the  enormous  scale  on 
which  preparations  were  made,  and  many  of  that  numer- 
ous class  who  invariably  side  with  the  successful  party 
were  beginning  to  grow  lukewarm  or  to  waver  in  their 
support  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  So  powerful,  in  such  a  crisis  as 
the  country  was  then  passing  through,  is  the  influence  of 
military  success  to  sustain  a  party,  be  its  cause  ever  so 
just  a  one,  that  if  a  long  train  of  reverses  had  followed 
the  commencement  of  the  autumn,  it  is  not  improbable 
that  the  contest  between  the  Republican  and  opposition 
candidates  for  the  Presidency  might  have  been  close  and 
exciting.  But  September  brought  the  fall  of  Atlanta  and 
the  victories  of  Sheridan  in  the  Valley,  and  it  was  seen 
that  Grant,  while  apparently  making  slight  progress,  was 
in  reality  holding  Lee  by  an  iron  grip  within  his  intrench- 
ments  at  Petersburg,  and  preventing  him  from  sending  a 
single  man  to  re-enforce  the  rebel  armies  in  the  West. 
As  this  conviction  dawned  upon  the  public  mind,  confi- 
dence was  restored,  the  faint-hearted  plucked  up  courage, 
and  the  crisis  was  past.  This  change  of  opinion,  how- 
ever, could  not  be  foreseen  by  the  leaders  of  the  opposi- 
tion, and  therefore  their  postponement  of  their  convention 
was  on  the  whole  a  clever  stroke  of  policy,  the  failure  of 
which  was  through  no  fault  of  its  advisers. 

For  months  before  the  meeting  of  the  convention, 
which  took  place  in  Chicago,  but  one  prominent  name 
was  in  the  mouths  of  Democratic  politicians  in  connection 
with  the  Presidency,  and  that  was-  General  McClellan's. 
We  have  stated  how  he  was  taken  up  by  these  men  in 
the  first  flush  of  his  military  reputation,  and  how  the 
political  ideas  which  he  then  imbibed,  by  arraying  him  in 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1113 

opposition  to  the  Administration,  and  prompting  him  to 
go  beyond  the  line  of  his  proper  duty,  impaired  his  use- 
fulness as  a  soldier.  Since  his  removal  from  the  command 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  in  November,  1862,  he  had 
relinquished  no  one  of  those  political  views,  and  his  long 
retirement  from  active  duty  was  regarded  by  his  friends 
as  a  species  of  martyrdom,  prompted  by  the  fears  and 
hatred  of  the  Government.  The  popularity  which  he  had 
once  possessed,  both  in  and  out  of  the  army,  it  was  be- 
lieved, had  experienced  no  diminution.  A  man  of  un- 
doubted ability,  of  many  accomplishments,  having-  the 
appearance  and  address  of  a  polished  gentleman,  and  of 
unblemished  private  character,  he  formed  in  some  re- 
spects a  marked  contrast  to  the  Republican  candidate, 
and  was  decided  to  combine  in  himself  more  elements  of 
success  than  any  other  man  in  the  ranks  of  the  opposition. 
Under  these  circumstances  his  nomination  was  a  foregone 
conclusion,  and  was  secured  on  the  first  ballot,  the  only 
competitor  against  him  having  any  show  of  strength  be- 
ing Governor  Seymour,  of  New  York.  This  result  was, 
nevertheless,  unpalatable  to  that  wing  of  the  Democratic 
party  of  which  men  like  Vallandigham  were  the  expo- 
nents, because  McClellan  was  professedly  in  favor  of  pros- 
ecuting the  war  against  the  rebellion ;  and  for  the  purpose 
of  securing  their  support,  George  II.  Pendleton,  a  member 
of  the  Thirty-seventh  Congress,  from  Ohio,  and  one  of  their 
ablest  men,  was  nominated  for  the  Vice-Presidency.  The 
ticket  thus  comprised  a  candidate  for  President  in  favor 
of  war,  and  a  candidate  for  Yice-President  pledged  in  the 
strongest  terms  to  oppose  it. 

The  year  1864  was  marked  by  two  indirect  attempts  to 
commence  negotiations  for  peace,  which  resulted  in  noth- 
ing. In  the  middle  of  July,  Colonel  James  F.  Jaques, 
of  the  Seventy-third  Illinois  Volunteers,  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Edward  Kirke,  was  permitted  to  enter  the  rebel  lines 
in  front  of  Petersburg,  and  proceed  to  Richmond,  where 
he  obtained  an  interview  with  Jefferson  Davis.  Though 
clothed  with  no  authority  to  speak  for  either  President 
Lincoln  or  the  Government,  and  much  less  to  act  for 
them,  he  was  nevertheless  received  with  cordiality  by 
Davis,  to  whom  he  explained  the  basis  on  which,  in  all 
probability,  the  United  States  Government  would  consent 
to  treat  for  peace.  Davis  having  intimated  very  de- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

cidedly  that  no  peace  could  be  contemplated  by  him  or 
his  Government,  without  the  recognition  of  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  "  Southern  Confederacy  "  by  the  United 
States,  Colonel  Jaques  and  his  companion  took  their 
departure,  no  wiser  than  when  they  reached  Richmond. 

The  next  attempt  at  peace  negotiations  was  conducted 
through  more  practised  hands,  but  resulted  none  the 
more  favorably  for  the  peace  party.  Early  in  July,  Mr. 
Horace  Greeley,  editor  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  re- 
ceived from  "W.  Cornell  Jewett,  a  political  adventurer  of 
some  notoriety,  information  that  certain  prominent  rebel 
refugees  in  Canada  were  desirous  of  holding  an  interview 
with  him  at  Niagara  Falls.  The  following  letter  from 
Mr.  Greeley  to  the  President  in  reference  to  this  matter 
formed  the  prelude  to  the  attempted  negotiations  : — 

"NEW  YORK,  July  7, 1864. 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR  : — I  venture  to  enclose  you  a  letter  and  telegraphic  dis- 
patch that  I  received  yesterday  from  our  irrepressible  friend,  Colorado 
Jewett,  at  Niagara  Falls.  I  think  they  deserve  attention.  Of  course  I  do 
not  indorse  Jewett'a  positive  averment  that  his  friends  at  the  Falls  havo 
'full  powers  '  from  J.  D.,  though  I  do  not  doubt  that  ho  thinks  they  have. 
I  let  that  statement  stand  as  simply  evidencing  the  anxiety  of  the  Confeder- 
ates everywhere  for  peace.  So  much  is  beyond  doubt. 

"  And  therefore  I  venture  to  remind  you  that  our  bleeding,  bankrupt, 
almost  dying  country  also  longs  for  peace — shudders  at  the  prospect  of 
fresh  conscriptions,  of  further  wholesale  devastations,  and  of  new  rivers 
of  human  blood;  and  a  wide-spread  conviction  that  the  Government  and 
its  prominent  supporters  are  not  anxious  for  peace  and  do  not  improve 
proffered  opportunities  to  achieve  it,  is  doing  great  harm  now,  and  is 
morally  certain,  unless  removed,  to  do  far  greater  in  the  approaching 
elections. 

"  It  is  not  enough  that  we  anxiously  desire  a  true  and  lasting  peace. 
We  ought  to  demonstrate  and  establish  the  truth  beyond  cavil.  The  fact 
that  A.  H.  Stephens  was  not  permitted  a  year  ago  to  visit  and  confer  with 
the  authorities  at  Washington  has  done  harm,  which  the  tone  of  the  late 
National  Convention  at  Baltimore  is  not  calculated  to  counteract. 
'  "  I  entreat  you,  in  your  own  time  and  manner,  to  submit  overtures  for 
pacification  to  the  Southern  insurgents,  which  the  impartial  must  pro- 
nounce frank  and  generous. 

"If  only  with  a  view  to  the  momentous  election  soon  to  occur  in  North 
Carolina,  and  of  the  draft  to  be  enforced  in  the  Free  States,  this  should  be 
done  at  onpe.  I  would  give  the  safe-conduct  required  by  the  rebel  en- 
voys at  Niagara,  upon  their  parole  to  avoid  observation,  and  to  refrain 
from  all  communication  with  their  sympathizers  in  the  loyal  States ;  but 
you  may  see  reasons  for  declining  it.  But  whether  through  them  or  other- 
wise, do  not,  I  entreat  you,  fail  to  make  the  Southern  people  comprehend 
that  you  and  all  of  us  are  anxious  for  peace,  and  prepared  to  grant  liberal 
terms.  I  venture  to  suggest  the  following 

"PLAN  OP  ADJUSTMENT. 
"  1.  The  Union  is  restored,  and  declared  perpetual. 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1115 

"  2.  Slavery  is  utterly  and  forever  abolished  throughout  the  same. 

"  3.  A  complete  amnesty  for  all  political  offences,  with  a  restoration  of 
all  the  inhabitants  pf  each  State  to  all  the  privileges  of  citizens  of  the  United 
States. 

"4.  The  Union  to  pay  four  hundred  million  dollars  ($400,000,000),  in 
five  per  cent.  United  States  stock,  to  the  late  Slave  States,  loyal  and  seces- 
sion alike,  to  be  apportioned  pro  rata,  according  to  their  slave  population 
respectively,  by  the  census  of  1860,  in  compensation  for  the  losses  of  their 
loyal  citizens  by  the  abolition  of  slavery.  Each  State  to  be  entitled  to  its 
quota  upon  the  ratification  by  its  legislature  of  this  adjustment.  The  bonds 
to  be  at  the  absolute  disposal  of  the  legislature  aforesaid. 

"5.  The  said  Slave  States  to  be  entitled  henceforth  to  representation  in 
the  House  on  the  basis  of  their  total,  instead  of  their  Federal  population, 
the  whole  now  being  free. 

"6.  A  national  convention,  to  be  assembled  as  soon  as  may  be,  to  ratify 
this  adjustment,  and  make  such  changes  in  the  Constitution  as  maybe 
deemed  advisable. 

"  Mr.  President,  I  fear  you  do  not  realize  how  intently  the  people  desire 
any  peace  consistent  with  the  national  integrity  and  honor,  and  how  joy- 
ously they  would  hail  its  achievement,  and  bless  its  authors.  With 
United  States  stock  worth  about  forty  cents  in  gold  per  dollar,  and  drafting 
about  to  commence  on  the  third  million  of  Union  soldiers,  can  this  be 
wondered  at  ? 

"  I  do  not  say  that  a  just  peace  is  now  attainable,  though  I  believe  it  to 
be  so.  But  I  do  say  that  a  frank  offer  by  you  to  the  insurgents  of  terms 
which  the  impartial  say  ought  to  be  accepted,  will,  at  the  worst,  prove  an 
immense  and  sorely  needed  advantage  to  the  National  cause.  It  may  save 
us  from  a  Northern  insurrection. 

"Yours truly,  HORACE  GREELEY. 

"  Hon.  A.  LINCOLN,  President,  Washington,  D.  C. 

"P.  S. — Even  though  it  should  be  deemed  unadvisable  to  make  an  offer 
of  terms  to  the  rebels,  I  insist  that  in  any  possible  case  it  is  desirable  that 
any  offer  they  may  be  disposed  to  make  should  be  received,  and  either 
accepted  or  rejected.  I  beg  you  to  invite  those  now  at  Niagara  to  ex- 
hibit their  credentials  and  submit  their  ultimatum. 

"H.  G." 

A  few  days  later,  Mr.  Greeley  was  informed  by 
George  N.  Sanders,  a  noted  rebel  agent  in  Canada,  that 
Clement  C.  Clay,  of  Alabama,  Professor  J.  P.  Holcombe, 
of  Virginia,  and  himself,  were  willing  to  go  at  once  to 
Washington,  provided  they  could  be  assured  of  their  per- 
sonal safety.  To  this  Mr.  Greeley  replied  as  follows : — 

'  "NIAGARA  PALLS,  N.  Y.,  July  17,  1864. 

"GENTLEMEN: — I  am  informed  that  you  are  duly  accredited  from  Eich- 
mond  as  the  bearers  of  propositions  looking  to  the  establishment  of  peace, 
that  you  desire  to  visit  Washington  in  the  fulfilment  of  your  mission, 
and  that  you  further  desire  that  Mr.  George  N.  Slanders  shall  accompany 
you.  If  my  information  be  thus  far  substantially  correct,  I  am  authorized 
by  the  President  of  the  United  States  to  tender  you  his  safe-conduct  on 


1116  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 

the  journey  proposed,  and  to  accompany  you  at  the  earliest  time  that  will 
be  agreeable  to  you. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  gentlemen,  yours,        HORACE  GEEELET. 
"  To  Messrs.  CLEMENT  C.  CLAY,  JACOB  THOMPSON,  JAMES  P. 

HOLCOMBE,  Clifton  House,  C.  W." 

Clay  and  Holcombe  replied  on  the  succeeding  day  that 
the  safe-conduct  of  the  JPresident  had  been  tendered  to 
them  under  some  misapprehensions  of  facts,  since  they 
had  not  been  accredited  to  him  from  Richmond  as  the 
bearers  of  propositions  looking  to  the  establishment  of 
peace.  "We  are,  however,"  they  added,  "  in  the  confi- 
dential employment  of  our  Government,  and  are  entirely 
familiar  with  its  wishes  and  opinions  on  that  subject ; 
and  we  feel  authorized  to  declare  that  if  the  circumstances 
disclosed  in  this  correspondence  were  communicated  to 
Richmond,  we  would  be  at  once  invested  with  the  authority 
to  which  your  letter  refers  ;  or  other  gentlemen,  clothed 
with  full  powers,  would  be  immediately  sent  to  Washing- 
ton, with  a  view  of  hastening  a  consummation  so  much  to 
be  desired,  and  terminating  at  the  earliest  possible  moment 
the  calamities  of  the  war.  Under  these  circumstances, 
Mr.  Greeley  telegraphed  to  Washington  for  furtherin- 
structions,  and  received  on  the  same  day  the  following 
memorandum : — • 

"  EXECUTIVE  MANSION,  WASHINGTON,  July  18,  1864. 
To  whom  it  may  concern  : 

"  Any  proposition  which  embraces  the  restoration  of  peace,  the  integrity 
of  the  whole  Union,  and  the  abandonment  of  slavery,  and  which  comes  by 
and  with  an  authority  that  can  control  the  armies  now  at  war  against  the 
United  States,  will  be  received  and  considered  by  the  Executive  Govern- 
ment of  the  United  States,  and  will  be  met  by  liberal  terms,  on  substantial 
and  collateral  points,  and  the  bearer  or  bearers  thereof  shall  have  safe- 
conduct  both  ways. 

(Signed)  "ABRAHAM  LINCOLN." 

This,  in  view  of  the  temper  and  pretensions  of  the 
South,  was  practically  a  bar  to  further  proceedings,  and 
was  so  considered  by  the  rebel  agents.  In  their  final 
reply  to  Mr.  Greeley,  after  quoting  the  President's  memo- 
randum, they  proceed  as  follows  : — 

"  The  application  to  which  we  refer  was  elicited  by  your  letter  of  the 
17th  instant,  in  which  you  inform  MA?.  Jacob  Thompson  and  ourselves  that 
you  were  authorized  by  tho  President  of  the  United  States  to  tender  us  his 
safe-conduct  on  the  hypothesis  that  we  were  '  duly  accredited  from  Rich- 
mond as  bearers  of  propositions  looking  to  the  establishment  of  peace,' 
and  desired  a  visit  to  Washington  in  the  fulfilment  of  this  mission.  This 


IIISTOKY   OF  THE   GKEAT  .REBELLION.  1117 

assertion,  to  which  we  then  gave,  and  still  do,  entire  credence,  was  accepted 
by  us  as  the  evidence  of  an  unexpected  but  most  gratifying  change  in' the 
policy  of  the  President,  a  change  which  we  felt  authorized  to  hope  might 
terminate  in  the  conclusion  of  a  peace  mutually  just,  honorable,  and  advan- 
tageous to  the  North  and  to  the  South,  exacting  no  condition  but  that  we 
should  be  'duly  accredited  from  Richmond  as  bearers  of  propositions 
looking  to  the  establishment  of  peace.'  Thus  proffering  a  basis  for  con- 
ference as  comprehensive  as  we  could  desire,  it  seemed  to  us  that  the 
President  opened  a  door  which  had  previously  been  closed  against  the 
Confederate  States  for  a  full  interchange  of  sentiments,  free  discussion  of 
conflicting  opinions,  and  untrammelled  effort  to  remove  all  causes  of  contro- 
versy by  liberal  negotiations.  We,  indeed,  could  not  claim  the  benefit  of  a 
safe-conduct  which  had  been  extended  to  us  in  a  character  we  had  no  right 
to  assume,  and  had  never  affected  to  possess;  but  the  uniform  declarations 
of  our  Executive  and  Congress,  and  their  thrice-repeated,  and  as  often 
repulsed,  attempts  to  open  negotiations,  furnish  a  sufficient  pledge  to  assure 
us  that  this  conciliatory  manifestation  on  the  part  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States  would  be  met  by  them  in  a  temper  of  equal  magnanimity. 
We  had,  therefore,  no  hesitation  in  declaring  that  if  this  correspondence 
was  communicated  to  the  President  of  the  Confederate  States,  he  would 
promptly  embrace  the  opportunity  presented  for  seeking  a  peaceful  solution 
of  this  unhappy  strife.  We  feel  confident  that  you  must  share  our  pro- 
found regret  that  the  spirit  which  dictated  the  first  step  towards  peace  had 
not  continued  to  animate  the  counsels  of  your  President.  Had  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  two  Governments  met  to  consider  this  question,  the  most 
momentous  ever  submitted  to  human  statesmanship,  in  a  temper  of  be- 
coming moderation  and  equity,  followed  as  their  deliberations  would  have 
been  by  the  prayers  and  benedictions  of  every  patriot  and  Christian  on  the 
habitable  globe,  who  is  there  so  bold  as  to  pronounce  that  the  frightful 
waste  of  individual  happiness  and  public  prosperity  which  is  daily  sadden- 
ing the  universal  heart,  might  not  have  been  terminated  ;  or  if  the  desola- 
tion and  carnage  of  war  must  still  be  endured  through  weary  years  of 
blood  and  suffering,  that  there  might  not  at  least  have  been  infused  into 
its  conduct  something  more  of  the  spirit  which  softens  and  partially 
redeems  its  brutalities  ?  Instead  of  the  safe-conduct  which  we  solicited, 
and  which  your  first  letter  gave  us  every  reason  to  suppose  would  be 
extended  for  the  purpose  of  initiating  a  negotiation  in  which  neither  Gov- 
ernment would  compromise  its  rights  or  its  dignity,  a  document  has  been 
presented  which  provokes  as  much  indignation  as  surprise.  It  bears  no 
feature  of  resemblance  to  that  which  was  originally  offered,  and  is  unlike 
any  paper  which  ever  before  emanated  from  the  constitutional  Executive  of 
a  free  people.  Addressed  '  to  whom  it  may  concern,'  it  precludes  negotia- 
tion, %nd  prescribes  in  advance  the  terms  and  conditions  of  peace.  It 
returns  to  the  original  policy  of  '  No  bargaining,  no  negotiations,  no  truces 
with  rebels  except  to  bury  their  dead,  until  every  man  shall  have  laid  down 
his  arms,  submitted  to  the  Government,  and  sued  for  mercy.'  What  may 
be  the  explanation  of  this  sudden  and  entire  change  in  the  views  of  the 
President,  of  this  rude  withdrawal  of  a  courteous  overture  for  negotiation 
at  the  moment  it  was  likely  to  be  accepted,  of  this  emphatic  recall  of  words 
of  peace  just  uttered,  and  fresh  blasts  of  war  to  the  bitter  end,  we  leave 
for  the  speculation  of  those  who  have  the  means  or  inclination  to  penetrate 
the  mysteries-  of  his  Cabinet,  or  fathom  the  caprice  of  his  imperial  will.  It 
is  enough  for  us  to  say  that  we  have  no  use  whatever  for  the  paper  which 
has  been  placed  in  our  hands.  We  could  not  transmit  it  to  the  President 
of  the  Confederate  States  without  offering  him  an  indignity,  dishonoring 
ourselves,  and  incurring  the  well-merited  scorn  of  our  countrymen. 


1118  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

"  While  an  ardent  desire  for  peace  pervades  the  people  of  the  Confed- 
erate States,  we  rejoice  to  believe  that  there  are  few,  if  any,  among  them, 
who  would  purchase  it  at  the  expense  of  liberty,  honor,  and  self-respect. 
If  it  can  be  secured  only  by  their  submission  to  terms  of  conquest,  tho 
generation  is  yet  unborn  which  wil!  witness  its  restitution.  If  there  be 
any  military  autocrat  in  the  North  who  is  entitled  to  profler  the  conditions 
of  this  manifesto,  there  is  none  in  the  South  authorized  to  entertain  them. 
Those  who  control  our  armies  are  the  servants  of  the  people,  not  their 
masters :  and  they  have  no  more  inclination  than  they  have  fight  to  sub- 
vert the  social  institutions  of  the  sovereign  States,  to  overthrow  their  estab- 
lished  Constitutions,  and  to  barter  away  their  priceless  heritage  of  self- 
'  government.  This  correspondence  will  not,  however,  we  trust,  prove 
wholly  barren  of  good  results. 

"If  there  is  any  citizen  of  the  Confederate  States  who  has  clung  to 
a  hope  that  peace  was  possible  with  this  Administration  of  the  Federal 
Government,  it  will  strip  from  his  eyes  the  last  film  of  such  a  delusion. 
Or,  if  there  be  any  whose  hearts  have  grown  faint  under  the  suffering  and 
agony  of  this  bloody  struggle,  it  will  inspire  them  with  fresh  energy  to 
endure  and  brave  whatever  may  yet  be  requisite  to  preserve  to  themselves 
and  their  children  all  that  gives  dignity  and  value  to  life,  or  hope  and  con- 
solation to  death.  And  if  there  be  any  patriots  or  Christians  in  your  land, 
who  shrink  appalled  from  the  illimitable  vista  of  private  misery  and  pub- 
lic calamity  which  stretches  before  them,  we  pray  that  in  their  bosoms 
a  resolution  may  be  quickened  to  recall  the  abused  authority  and  vindicate 
the  outraged  civilization  of  their  country.  For  the  solicitude  you  have 
manifested  to  inaugurate  a  movement  which  contemplates  results  the  most 
noble  and  humane,  we  return  our  sincere  thanks,  and  are,  most  respectfully 
and  truly,  your  obedient  servants, 

"C.  C.  CLAY,  JR. 
"JAMES  P.  HOLCOMBE." 


CHAPTER    LXX. 

Finances  of  1863. — Revenue. — Sales  of  Bonds.— Effect  of  Paper  Money. — 
Policy  of  Mr.  Chase. — Gold  Law,  and  its  Effects. — Finances  of  1864. — 
Sales  of  Bonds  in  Europe. — National  Banks. 

THE  financial  resources  of  the  Government  were  deyel- 
oped  with  the  most  extraordinary  power  and  effect  as 
the  war  proceeded.  The  immense  pressure  of  continual 
paper  issues  upon  the  markets,  in  discharge  of  the  vast 
claims  upon  Government,  could  have  no  other  effect  than 
a  continual  depreciation  of  the  value  of  that  paper.  In  a 
previous  chapter  the  finances  of  the  Government  were 
brought  down  to  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year  1863,  at 
which  time  the  debt  had  accumulated  to  $1,098,793,181. 
The  receipts  of  the  fiscal  year,  ending  June  30,  1863, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  1119 

comprised  $69,059,642  from  customs,  and  $42,340,124 
from  taxes,  making  together  $111,399,766  from  revenue. 
There  was  borrowed  in  that  year  $776,682,361,  making 
together  $8^8,082,128,  to  meet  an  expenditure  of  $895,- 
796,630.  The  fiscal  year  1864  opened  with  $411,190,065 
legal-tender  money  outstanding,  and  gold  at  a  premium 
of  150.  The  internal  revenue  and  customs  taxes  were  so 
modified  as,  it  was  hoped,  to  increase  the  revenue  of  the 
year  at  least  fifty  per  cent.  The  depreciation  of  paper 
had,  however,  greatly  increased  the  expenses  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, by  enhancing  the  cost  of  most  articles  of  which 
the  Government  was  the  purchaser,  and  making  it  requi- 
site to  increase  the  pay  of  the  troops,  as  well  as  to  swell 
the  sum  of  the  bounties  offered.  It  was  very  clear  that, 
no  matter  how  near  to  the  estimates  the  receipts  from 
taxes  might  come,  the  increased  expense  caused  by  the 
depreciation  of  paper  would'  more  than  absorb  the  sum  of 
the  taxes,  and  that  the  dependence  of  the  Government 
must  be  upon  borrowing.  In  pursuing  this  course,  the 
Government  varied  the  form  of  the  bonds  offered  in  the 
market.  Up  to  the  close  of  May,  1863,  the  gold  bonds 
of  the  Government  had  not  met  with  much  sale,  because 
of  their  high  price  as  compared  with  the  value  of  other 
comrnodites  upon  the  market.  The  property  of  the  peo- 
ple had  been  locked  up  in  goods  and  merchandise  that 
were  not  readily  salable  when  the  war  broke  out.  It  was 
not  until  the  issue  of  Government  paper,  in  exchange  for 
commodities  at  very  high  prices,  had  transmuted  goods 
into  Government  paper,  that  the  people  had  money  or 
paper  to  invest  in  the  bonds  of  the  Government.  In  the 
spring  of  1863  very  active  sales  of  goods  had  taken  place 
for  paper,  which  had  depreciated  to  forty-two  cents  per 
dollar.  High  prices  had  been  obtained  in  this  paper  for 
merchandise,  and  when  gold  began  to  decline  in  May,  the 
desire  to  convert  the  paper  money  into  the  gold  bonds 
enabled  the  Government  to  negotiate  a  considerable 
amount  of  the  5-20  bonds.  In  the  first  quarter  of  the 
fiscal  year,  1864,  $109,631,250  of  those  bonds  were  sold. 
In  addition,  $15,000,000  more  legal-tender  notes  were 
issued.  The  sales  of  the  5-20  bonds  continued  up  to  the 
middle  of  January,  1864,  the  rate  of  gold  remaining  at 
about  152.  The  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  was  then 
induced  to  stop  the  sale  of  the  gold  bonds,  and  to  issue 


1120  HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION. 

a  new  form  of  legal-tender  notes,  bearing  interest,  to  the 
extent  of  $150,000,000.  The  effect  of  this  was  to  send 
the  price  of  gold  up  a  little,  and  this  tendency  was 
enhanced  by  the  attempts  of  Congress  to  check  the  rise, 
by  interfering  with  the  freedom  of  individual  action. 
The  issues  of  legal  tender  then  became  necessary,  because 
the  sales  of  the  Government  bonds  were  less  free. 

Meantime  the  customs  revenues  were  very  large,  ex- 
ceeding the  estimates  to  a  considerable  extent.  The  law 
guaranteeing  that  the  public  interest  should  be  paid  in 
gold,  had  required  that  the  customs  receipts  should  be 
applied,  first,  to  the  payment  of  interest  on  the  public 
debt,  and  secondly,  to  the  purchase  annually  of  one  per 
cent,  of  the  entire  public  debt,  as  a  sinking  fund.  In 
March,  1864,  gold  was  at  a  premium  of  160,  and  a  bill 
was  brought  into  Congress  to  allow  the  Secretary  to  sell 
in  the  open  market  the  gold  not  required  for  the  interest. 
This  was  refused ;  nevertheless,  the  Secretary  caused  to 
be  issued  the  following  notice : — 

"  UNITED  STATES  TREASURY,  NEW  YORK,  March  23,  18G4. 
"  By  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  notice  is  hereby  given 
that  until  further  orders  I  will  issue  to  importers,  for  payment  of  duties  on 
goods  imported  by  them,  certificates  of  deposit  of  gold  coin,  to  the  credit  of 
the  collector  of  any  port,  as  desired  in  exchange  for  notes,  at  a  quarter  of 
one  per  centum  below  the  current  market  value  of  gold. 

"  These  certificates  are  not  assignable,  but  will  bo  receivable  by  the  col- 
lector from  the  party  to  whom  they  are  issued. 

"J.  J.  Cisco, 
"  Assistant  Treasurer  of  the  United  States. 

"No. United  States  Treasury,  New  York, —         — ,1864. 

"I  certify  that has  this  day  deposited  to  the  credit  of 

the  Collector  of  the  Port  of  New  York  $ in  gold  coin.  This  cer- 
tificate is  receivable  only  for  duties  on  imports  from  the  party  to  whom 
it  is  issued,  and  upon  his  indorsement. 

"$ .  ,  Assistant  Treasurer" 

The  gold  certificates  thus  sold  were  used  for  the  pay- 
ment of  customs,  in  the  view  of  checking  the  demand  for 
gold.  A  considerable  quantity  of  gold  was  also  sent  to  Lon- 
don, and  exchange  drawn  against  it  was  sold  for  paper  in 
the  same  manner.  Congress  now  passed  a  resolution 
increasing  the  duty  on  imported  goods  fifty  per  cent,  for 
sixty  days,  to  take  effect  on  April  29th.  The  effect  of 
this  was  to  cause  very  large  entries  of  goods  for  duties  in 
April,  and  consequently  to  draw  gold  into  the  Treasury, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GEEAT   REBELLION.  1121 

and  a  further  rise  in  gold  resulted.  Congress  now  took 
measures  to  stop  dealing  in  gold,  by  passing  a  law  which 
forbade  sales  of  exchange  for  specie  at  more  than  ten 
days'  time,  at  any  place  except  the  individual  office  of 
the  banker,  and  in  point  of  fact  greatly  embarrassed  the 
business  operations  of  bankers,  since  they  could  not  tell  in 
how  far  they  might  be  exposed,  not  simply  to  the  danger 
of  infringing  on  the  law,  but  to  the  complaints  of  inform- 
ers, called  into  being  by  the  enactment,  which  bestowed 
upon  them  half  the  fine.  The  law  also,  by  limiting  the 
time  within  which  a  contract  for  exchange  might  run, 
cut  off  a  large  amount  of  ordinary  shipping  business  done 
in  New  York  for  Western  account,  and  which,  in  the 
usual  course  of  business,  required  at  least  fifteen  days  to 
perfect  arrangements  between  Chicago  and  New  York. 
These  difficulties,  of  course,  caused  a  rise  in  both  ex- 
change and  gold.  The  latter  rose  to  285  and  290  on  July 
1st. 

The  bill  had,  as  we  have  stated,  caused  a  dead-lock  in 
the  foreign  exchange  business,  on  account  of  the  provi- 
sions above  referred  to.  It  is  well  known  that  a  very 
large  proportion  of  the  ordinary  business  payments  of  the 
people  of  this  country,  and  of  every  civilized  commercial 
community,  are,  in  modern  times,  settled  by  certified 
checks,  and  similar  financial  expedients.  To  forbid  the 
use  of  these  certified  checks,  in  any  important  department 
of  legitimate  business,  would  be  attended  with  the  most 
disastrous  results,  both  to  the  enterprise  of  private  indi- 
viduals and  to  the  credit  of  the  public  Treasury. 

An  important  revolution  had  been  effected  in  the  bank- 
ing system  of  the  country  by  the  introduction  of  Mr. 
Chase's  National  Banking  scheme,  which  authorized  the 
establishment  of  three  hundred  million  dollars  of  bank 
capital,  to  issue  three  hundred  million  dollars  of  bank 
notes  not  convertible  into  specie,  but  redeemable  in  legal- 
tender  notes;  the  bank  notes  to  be  a  legal  tender  for  all 
Government  dues  except  customs,  and  secured  upon 
United  States  bonds.  The  advantages  held  out  by  thia 
law  were  not  at  first  appreciated,  but  in  1864,  National 
banks  began  to  be  rapidly  organized,  and  by  the  close  of 
the  first  Administration  of  Mr.  Lincoln  the  whole  amount 
of  capital  authorized  was  nearly  engaged,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  eleven  million  dollars  of  the  notes  issued.  A 

69 


1122  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

law  taxing  State-bank  notes  ten  per  cent,  was  intended  to 
induce  State  banks  to  convert  themselves  into  National 
banks,  and  thus  simplify  and  consolidate  the  whole  bank- 
ing system  of  the  country.  The  tendency  has  accordingly 
been  in  that  direction. 

Mr.  Chase  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  William  Pitt  Fessen- 
den,  Senator  from  Maine,  and  chairman  of  the  Senate 
Finance  Committee.  The  Government  paper  was  worth 
thirty-five  cents  per  dollar,  and  the  revenues  were  not 
large  from  taxes ;  but  the  revised  law  coining  then  into 
operation  promised  to  increase  the  amount.  There  was 
also  a  five  per  cent,  extra  income  tax  levied  in  October 
on  the  incomes  of  1863.  The  customs  had  begun  to  de- 
cline, but  the  low  price  of  the  Federal  six  per  cent,  bonds, 
selling  then  in  London  at  thirty-five  cents  per  dollar, 
and  therefore  giving  seventeen  per  cent,  interest  on  the 
investment,  was  beginning  to  attract  the  attention  of 
capitalists  in  Europe,  and  sales  became  large,  thereby 
checking  the  drain  for  gold  in  the  payment  of  goods  im- 
ported. 

By  the  laws  in  force  on  the  day  Mr.  Fessenden  as- 
sumed office,  he  had  authority  to  borrow  on  the  credit  of 
the  United  States  the  amounts  following,  to  wit : — 

First.  Under  the  act  of  March  3d,  1863,  so  much  of 
$75,000,000  advertised  previously  to  June  30th,  1864,  as 
had  not  been  awarded  to  bidders,  $32,459,700. 

Second.  Under  the  act  of  March  3d,  1864,  so  much  as 
had  not  been  subscribed  for  and  paid  into  the  treasury, 
viz.:  $127,603,520. 

Third.  Under  the  act  of  June  30th,  1864,  $400,- 
000,000. 

Fourth.  Amount  of  Treasury  notes  issued  under 
former  acts  which  had  been  redeemed  and  cancelled, 
and  which  the  Secretary  was  authorized  to  replace 
by  notes  issued  under  the  act  of  June  30th,  1864, 
$62,191,400. 

Total  available  resources  under  laws  authorizing  loans, 
$622,284,625.  To  this  may  be  added  the  actual  balance 
in  the  treasury,  July  1st,  1864,  $18,842,588  71.  Total, 
$641,127,213  71.  Thus  provfded  with  funds,  he  did  not 
attempt  any  change  from  the  course  pursued  by  Mr. 
Chase. 

The  policy  of  the  department  was,  as  far  as  practicable, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1123 

to  avoid  the  issues  of  legal  tender  by  substituting  for 
them  bonds.  The  sales  of  the  latter  abroad  facilitated 
this  movement.  Mr.  Fesseriden  retained  power  to  the  close 
of  March,  1805,  in  which  term  the  debt  had  increased 
from  $1,733,810,119  to  $2,423,437,001,  or  689,626,882,  be- 
ing at  the  rate  of  $2,500,000  per  day.  Of  this  increase, 
$74,000,000  was  legal  tender,  $260,000,000  gold  bonds, 
$64,000,000  arrears  to  creditors,  and  the  remainder  paper 
interest  bonds. 


CHAPTER  LXXI. 

Sherman  Prepares  to  Cross  Georgia. — Composition  of  Army. — Combat  at 
Griswoldville. — Appeal  to  the  People  of  Georgia. — Milledgeville  Reached. 
— Army  at  Louisville. — Combat  with  Wheeler. — March  to  Savannah. — 
— Communicates  with  the  Fleet. — Fort  McAllister. — Evacuation  of  Sa- 
vannah.— Sherman's  Dispatch. — "Wilmington  Expedition. — Fort  Fisher. 
— Powder  Ship. — Bombardment. — Failure. — Return  to  Hampton  Roads. 
Co-operation  from  Plymouth. 

WHEN  Sherman  paused  in  his  pursuit  of  Hood,  he  re- 
mained several  days  at  Gaylesville,  in  Northern  Alabama, 
and  then,  with  the  Fourteenth,  Fifteenth,  Sixteenth,  and 
Seventeenth  Corps,  the  Fourth  and  Twenty-third  having 
been  sent  to  Tennessee,  returned  to  Atlanta,  to  commence 
preparations  for  a  march  through  Georgia  to  the  sea-coast. 
Hood  had  made  the  mistake  of  going  north  into  Tennes- 
see, without  any  very  definite  object,  and  there  was  no 
force  south  of  Atlanta  to  present  any  opposition  to  the 
proposed  march  of  Sherman.  Beauregard  was  indeed  at 
Corinth,  but  with  little  prospect  of  being  able  to  make 
head  against  the  well-appointed  army  under  the  control 
of  the  Union  leader.  The, army  with  which  Sherman  left 
Atlanta  was  composed  of  four  corps  of  infantry,  one  di- 
vision of  cavalry,  four  brigades  of  artillery,  and  two  horse- 
batteries.  The  infantry  consisted  of  the  Fourteenth 
Corps,  General  Jeff.  C.  Davis;  the  Fifteenth,  General 
Osterhaus  (Logan  being  absent) ;  the  Seventeenth,  Gen- 
eral Blair ;  and  the  Twentieth,  General  Slocum.  The 
cavalry  was  commanded  by  Kilpatrick.  Finally,  there 
was  a  full  brigade  of  artillery  for  each  corps,  and  one 


1124:  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

battery  of  horse  artillery  for  the  cavalry,  numbering  in 
all  about  sixty-five  thousand  men.  The  two  divisions  of 
the  Sixteenth  Corps  were  divided  between  the  Fifteenth 
and  Seventeenth.  The  corps  were  quite  full,  many  had 
new  regiments  added,  and  the  men,  under  the  recent  calls 
for  troops,  had  come  in  to  restore  the  old  regiments  to 
their  maximum.  The  artillery  arm  was  organized  into 
an  independent  brigade  for  each  corps,  commanded  by  a 
field  officer,  with  his  own  adjutant-general,  quartermas- 
ter-general, quartermaster,  commissary,  ordnance  officer, 
&c.  Sherman,  in  his  special  field  order  No.  120,  an- 
nounced the  division  of  his  forces,  for  the  purpose  of 
military  operations,  into  two  wings :  "  The  right  wing, 
Major-General  O.  O.  Howard  commanding,  the  Fifteenth, 
and  Seventeenth  Corps;  the  left  wing,  Major-General 
H.  W.  Slocum  commanding,  the  Fourteenth  and  Twen- 
tieth Corps."  Each  wing  had- its  due  proportion  of  in- 
fantry, cavalry,  and  artillery.  The  men  on  commencing 
the  march  had  in  haversacks  two  days'  rations  salt  meat, 
two  days'  hard  bread,  ten  days'  coflee  and  salt,  and  five 
days'  sugar.  Each  infantry  soldier  carried  sixty  rounds 
of  ammunition  on  his  person. 

Thus  prepared,  between  the  12th  and  15th  of  Novem- 
ber, the  troops  began  to  concentrate  around  Atlanta. 
From  Rome  and  Kingston  southward  the  railroad  was 
thoroughly  broken  up,  and  no  property  or  buildings  that 
could  aid  the  enemy  were  spared.  A  general  conflagra- 
tion in  Atlanta  consumed  over  two  million  dollars  of 
property,  and  the  defensive  works  were  levelled  to  the 
ground.  On  November  16th  the  great  march  commenced, 
and  the  army,  thus  cut  loose  from  its  base,  moved  in  four 
columns  on  two  general  lines.  The  right  wing,  under 
Howard,  marched  through  East  Point,  and,  driving  be- 
fore it  the  enemy's  mounted  troops  under  Iverson,  arrived 
at  Jonesboro  on  the  16th.  Leaving  Jonesboro,  it  moved 
west,  through  McDonough  and  Jackson,  to  Monticello 
and  Hillsboro,  after  crossing  the  Ocmulgee  River,  at 
Planter's  Factory,  on  the  19th  ult.  On  the  21st  and  22d, 
the  column  struck  the  Georgia  Central,  east  of  Macon 
and  between  Gordon  and  Griswoldville,  and  immediately 
began  to  destroy  the  track. 

On  the  20th,  a  body  of  Kilpatrick's  Cavalry  made  a 
demonstration  in  the  neighborhood  of  Macon,  to  deceive 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1125 

the  enemy,  and  on  the  23d  Walcott's  Brigade,  on  the  ex- 
treme right  of  the  column,  had  a  sharp  encounter  at  Gris- 
woldville  with  a  body  of  Georgia  troops,  under  General 
Phillips,  whom  they  defeated  with  the  loss  of  a  thousand 
or  upwards.  On  the  23d  the  column  reached  the  Oconee 
River,  having  destroyed  the  railroad  to  thatpoint.  The 
opposite  bank  was  protected  by  Generals  Wheeler  and 
Wayne  with  a  cavalry  force,  and  Howard's  Cavalry  made 
several  ineffectual  attempts  to  cross.  But  by  a  march 
down  the  river,  our  forces  flanked  the  enemy,  crossed,  and 
dispersed  all  opposition.  On  Friday,  the  25th,  a  part  of 
our  cavalry  entered  Sandersville,  a  town  twenty-two  miles 
east  of  Milledgeville  and  of  the  Oconee,  and  five  miles 
north  of  the  Central  Railroad.  This  flanking  move 
forced  the  abandonment  of  the  Oconee  River,  and  com- 
pelled Wayne  to  retire  to  Davisboro'. 

Meanwhile,  Slocum's  column,  passing  along  the  Augusta 
Railroad,  and  destroying  it  as  far  as  Madison,  moved 
thence  in  a  southerly  direction  upon  Milledgeville,  the 
capital  of  the  State,  which  place  it  reached  on  the  2"lst 
and  22d.  The  Georgia  Legislature  and  Governor  Brown 
decamped  at  its  approach  in  unseemly  haste.  On  the 
26th,  Slocum  was  at  Sandersville,  east  of  the  Oconee,  and 
on  the  27th  and  28th  both  wings  of  the  expeditionary 
army  were  temporarily  encamped  between  Sandersville 
and  Irwin's  Cross  Roads,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Georgia  Central  Railroad.  Four  large  rivers  lay  origin- 
ally in  the  line  of  Sherman's  march,  all  tending  south- 
easterly— the  Ocmulgee,  Oconee,  Ogeechee,  and  Savan- 
nah. The  former  is  the  most  westerly,  and  unites  lower 
down  with  the  Oconee,  to  form  the  Altamaha.  Macon  is 
on  the  Ocmulgee,  Milledgeville  on  the  Oconee,  Millen  on 
the  Ogeechee,  and  Augusta  on  the  Savannah.  There 
were  also  many  less  considerable  streams  to  cross,  and 
much  marshy  country,  especially  between  the  Ogeechee 
and  the  Savannah.  The  Oconee  had  been  passed  by  the 
right  wing  below  the  Oconee  Bridge,  and  by  the  left  at 
Milledgeville.  The  Ogeechee  was  passed  by  our  troops 
at  Fen  s  Bridge  in  the  march  from  Sandersville,  and  the 
next  main  stopping-place  was  Louisville,  fifteen  miles 
from  Fen's  Bridge,  in  the  centre  of  Jefferson  County, 
which  was  reached  by  the  Fourteenth  Corps  on  the  29th. 
Thence  the  cavalry  pushed  out  northeasterly  in  force  to 


1126  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

Waynesboro',  a  station  on  the  Augusta  and  Savannah 
road,  thirty-two  miles  south  of  Augusta. 

The  main  army  remained  around  Louisville  to  Decem- 
ber 1st.  The  time  was  employed  in  foraging  and  captur- 
ing mules  and  horses,  and  thoroughly  breaking  up  the 
railroad.  On  the  2d  the  Seventeenth  Corps  reached 
Millen,  eighty  miles  from  Savannah  and  fifty-three  from 
Augusta.  The  route  from  Millen  to  Savannah  was  well 
defended  by  natural  obstacles  on  both  flanks.  On  the 
night  of  Saturday,  the  3d,  a  combat  occurred,  near 
Waynesboro,  between  the  cavalry  of  Kilpatrick  and 
"Wheeler,  the  latter  being  the  attacking  party,  and  being 
decidedly  repulsed.  The  next  morning,  Sunday,  our 
cavalry  and  a  portion  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps  attacked 
Wheeler  in  his  breastworks,  and  drove  him  out  of  his 
works,  capturing  them,  and  forcing  him  to  retreat. 

From  Millen  the  army  pursued  the  direct  route  to 
Savannah,  the  Fifteenth  Corps  keeping  on  the  west  side 
of  the  Ogeechee,  and  the  others  on  the  east  side.  The 
march  was  almost  entirely  unobstructed,  and  on  the  llth, 
Captain  Duncan,  dispatched  by  Sherman,  after  a  hazard- 
ous passage  down  the  Ogeechee,  entered  Ossabaw  Sound, 
and  reached  the  flag-ship  of  Admiral  Dahlgren,  thus 
opening  up  communication  between  Sherman's  army  and 
the  fleet  before  Savannah.  When,  on  the  10th,  Sherman 
reached  Bloomingdale,  fifteen  miles  north  of  Savannah, 
his  line  stretched  across  the  peninsula  formed  by  the 
Ogeechee  and  Savannah  Rivers.  The  next  day,  the  left, 
under  Slocum,  moved  down  to  where  the  Charleston  Rail- 
road crosses  the  Savannah  River,  ten  miles  from  the  city, 
and  then  pressed  forward  five  miles  nearer  Savannah. 
The  right,  under  Howard,  meanwhile  also  marched  to- 
wards the  city,  and  passed  to  the  west  of  it,  skirting 
Rockingham,  a  station  on  the  Savannah,  Albany,  and 
Gulf  Railroad,  on  the  12th.  The  same  evening  the  army 
had  reached  the  neighborhood  of  Fort 'McAllister,  and 
made  a  careful  reconnoissance  of  it,  before  nightfall. 
This  is  a  very  strong  earthwork  on  the  Ogeechee  River, 
about  six  miles  from  Ossabaw  Sound.  It  completely 
protected  the  rear  of  Savannah  from  the  attack  of  our 

funboats  on  the  Ogeechee.      Two  severe   engagements 
etween  the  fort  and  our  monitor  fleet,  one  on  the  27th 
of  January,  1863,  the  other  on  the  3d  of  March,  1863, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1127 

had  left  it  uninjured  and  defiant.  It  mounted  about  ten 
heavy  guns,  but  had  only  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
men  in  garrison. 

As  the  possession  of  this  work  was  essential  in  order  to 
open  communication  with  the  fleet,  Sherman  ordered 
Hazen's  Division  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps  to  carry  it  by 
assault.  At  half-past  four  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
13th,  the  division  went  forward  to  the  attack.  The  abatis 
and  ditch  were  passed  under  a  heavy  fire  from  the  fort, 
the  parapets,  ten  feet  high,  scaled  by  our  troops,  and  the 
fort  carried  by  a  regular  assault.  At  five  o'clock  it  was 
ours.  "We  gained  the  strong  fort,  its  garrison  of  over  two 
hundred  men,  and  its  stores  of  ordnance  and  subsistence, 
with  all  its  guns. 

On  the  fall  of  Fort  McAllister,  Sherman  turned  his  at- 
tention to  the  reduction  of  Savannah,  which  was  held  by 
General  Hardee.  The  north,  west,  and  south  sides  were 
invested,  but  on  the  east  side  of  the  city  the  enemy  had 
command  of  the  river,  which  was  so  obstructed  with  piles 
and  sunken  vessels  that  the  fleet  could  not  reach  within 
supporting  distance.  The  forts,  Jackson,  Lee,  and  Bar- 
tow,  also  swept  the  east  side,  which  was  the  more  unap- 
proachable by  reason  of  a  wide  stretch  of  swamps  and  ricer- 
fields,  which,  being  flooded,  doubly  increased  the  diffi- 
culties of  approach.  On  the  16th,  General  Sherman  sent 
a  formal  demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  city,  to  which 
Hardee  replied  that,  as  his  communications  were  yet 
open,  and  as  he  was  fully  supplied  with  subsistence  stores, 
he  was  able  to  withstand  a  long  siege,  and  was  deter- 
mined to  hold  the  city  to  the  last. 

Sherman  proceeded  vigorously  with  the  siege.  By  the 
19th,  his  base  at  Kingsbridge,  twenty-eight  miles  from 
Ossabaw  Sound,  on  the  right,  was  well  established,  and 
supplies  came  up  freely  from  the  fleet  over  a  substantial 
corduroy  road,  built  rapidly  through  the  almost  impass- 
able swamp  which  intervened.  Heavy  siege-guns  were 
thus  transported  and  fixed  on  the  lines,  and  the  whole 
city  was  soon  in  great  danger.  The  line  was  said  to  be, 
by  practicable  roads,  thirty  miles  long.  Slocum's  column 
held  the  left,  as  always,  on  the  Savannah,  and  Howard 
the  right,  on  the  Ogeechee.  The  Twentieth  Corps  was 
on  the  extreme  left,  with  the  Fourteenth  on  its  right. 
The  Fifteenth  Corps  was  on  the  extreme  right,  with  the 


1128  HI8TOKY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

Seventeentli  on  its  left.  Between  the  Seventeenth  and 
Fourteenth  was  a  wide  gap  of  swamps,  and  flooded  rice- 
fields  extended  along  a  portion  of  our  front.  In  the  Savan- 
nah River  the  upper  part  of  Hutchinson's  Island  had  in- 
stantly been  seized  by  Slocum  on  our  reaching  the  city. 
But  a  canal  divided  its  upper  from  its  lower  half,  and  the 
latter  the  enemy  held.  Below  the  island  was  the  Union 
Causeway,  running  towards  Charleston. 

The  heavy  guns  taken  from  Fort  McAllister  were  now 
in  position,  and  our  lines  were  closing  in  on  the  left.  On 
the  afternoon  of  the  20th,  the  enemy's  iron-clads  moved 
up  the  river  and  opened  a  furious  fire  on  our  left,  sup- 
ported by  many  of  his  batteries.  Under  cover  of  their 
fire,  continued  all  night,  Hardee  crossed  his  troops  by 
steamboats,  smaller  boats,  and  rafts  to  Union  Causeway. 
The  Kavy  Yard  had  been  previously  partially  burned, 
and  such  stores  as  he  could  not  take  with  him  destroyed. 
The  two  formidable  rams,  Georgia  and  Savannah,  were 
blown  up  at  night.  Early  next  morning,  the  21st,  Sher- 
man entered  the  city,  and  received  its  surrender  from  the 
mayor.  It  was  uninjured,  the  cannon  never  having  been 
opened  upon  it. 

More  than  a  thousand  prisoners  were  taken  from  the 
enemy,  many  having  been  left  on  the  lines  till  too  late. 
The  captures  included  one  hundred  and  fifty  guns,  thirteen 
locomotives  in  good  order,  one  hundred  and  ninety  cars, 
a  large  supply  of  ammunition  and  materials  of  war,  three 
steamers,  and  thirty-three  thousand  bales  of  cotton  safely 
stored  in  warehouses.  All  these  valuable  fruits  of  an  al- 
most bloodless  victory  had  been,  like  Atlanta,  "fairly 
won."  On  the  21st,  General  Foster,  commanding  the 
Department  of  the  South,  opened  communications  with 
the  city  with  his  steamers,  taking  np  what  torpedoes  could 
be  seen,  and  passing  safely  over  others.  Arrangements 
were  also  made  to  clear  the  channel  of  all  obstructions. 
On  the  22d,  General  Sherman  sent  the  following  dispatch 
to  Washington : — 

"SAVANNAH,  GEORGIA,  December  22. 
"  To  His  Excellency  President  LINCOLN  : 

"  I  beg  to  present  you,  as  a  Christmas  gift,  the  city  of  Savannah,  with 
one  hundred  and  fifty  heavy  guns,  and  plenty  of  ammunition,  and  also 
about  twenty-five  thousand  bales  of  cotton. 

(Signed)  "W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major- General" 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT  REBELLION.  1129 

With  the  capture  of  Savannah  ended  the  great  march 
of  Sherman  to  the  sea,  just  five  weeks  from  the  day  he  had 
left  Atlanta.  Within  that  time  the  army  had  traversed  a 
tract  of  country  three  hundred  miles  in  length,  and  had 
destroyed  over  two  hundred  miles  of  railway,  breaking  up 
the  track  in  such  a  way  that  immediate  repair  was  out  of 
the  question.  The  Confederacy  was  practically  cut  in 
twain,  and,  with  a  victorious  and  admirably  organized 
army  prepared  soon  to  move  northward,  while  Grant's 

f'eat  Army  of  the  Potomac  still  held  Lee  at  bay  before 
etersburg,  it  was  no  difficult  matter  to  foresee  the  speedy 
collapse  of  the  rebellion.  Hood's  army  had  been  rendered 
useless  for  offensive  purposes,  and  at  the  commencement 
of  1865  the  only  efficient  forces  of  the  Confederacy,  com- 
prising the  army  of  Lee  and  various  scattered  bodies  of 
troops  in  the  Carolinas  and  Southern  Virginia,  lay  between 
Grant  and  Sherman.  The  march  of  the  latter  to  the  coast 
revealed  the  utterly  •  exhausted  condition  of  the  South. 
Not  only  was  the  body  of  organized  troops  opposed  to 
him  utterly  insignificant  in  point  of  numbers,  but  the  in- 
habitants exhibited  a  remarkable  degree  of  apathy  and 
in  difference.  Their  early  enthusiasm  for  the  rebel  cause 
had  by  this  time  departed,  and  their  sole  desire  seemed  to 
be  for  peace  and  submission.  Immense  destruction  of 
public  property  and  cotton  marked  the  track  of  the  expe- 
ditionary army,  and  the  troops  fared  sumptuously  on  the 
products  of  a  well-stocked  country.  In  spite  of  the  orders 
of  Sherman,  there  were  many  instances  of  the  plunder  of 
private  property,  the  hiding-places  of  which  were  revealed 
to  the  soldiers  by  the  negroes,  many  thousands  of  whom 
joined  the  army  on  its  march. 

While  these  events  were  happening  in  Georgia,  an  at- 
tempt was  made  on  Wilmington,  N".  C.,  which  had  been 
the  great  centre  of  blockade-running  during  the  year,  and 
which,  from  the  enormous  difficulties  attending  the  en- 
forcement of  the  blockade  in  its  vicinity,  seemed  to  bid 
defiance  to  any  effort  to  abridge  the  immunity  which  it 
enjoyed.  The  extent  of  the  trade  carried  on  there,  in  spite 
of  the  blockade  of  the  coast,  may  be  estimated  by  the  fact 
that  the  amount  of  ships  and  cargoes  sent  in  by  English 
capitalists,  from  January,  1863,  to  December,  1864,  nearly 
two  years,  was  sixty-six  millions  of  dollars.  A  joint  na- 
val and  military  expedition,  having  for  its  object  the  clos- 


1130  H1STOBY  OF  THE   GEE  AT  REBELLION. 

ing  of  this  port  by  capturing  its  outer  defences,  was  or- 
ganized early  in  August,  under  Admiral  Porter;  but  ow- 
ing to  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  a  co-operating  land  force, 
the  squadron  remained  in  Hampton  Roads  until  Decem- 
ber 12th,  when,  in  connection  with  a  force  of  six  thousand 
five  hundred  men  under  General  Butler,  it  sailed  for  its 
destination.  The  transports  and  war  vessels  numbered 
seventy-five  in  all.  The  latter,  which  included  the  New 
Ironsides  and  five  monitors,  were  arranged  in  five  divi- 
sions, as  follows : — 

First  Division 16  ships. 164  guns. 


Second     "       14 

Third       "       11 

Fourth     "       16 

Iron-clad 6 

Flag-ships 2 

Tugs  for  general  service . .     7 
Tender  to  flag-ship 1 


152 

119 

165 

30 

9 

14 
2 


73  655 

Commodore  Porter's  flag-ship  was  the  Malvern,  five 
guns. 

On  the  15th  of  December,  the  fleet  arrived  off  "Wil- 
mington and  prepared  for  its  work,  but  it  was  several 
days  before  wind  and  weather  would  allow  the  vessels  to 
get  into  position,  or  the  troops  to  be  landed.  Finally,  at 
noon  of  Saturday,  the  24th,  the  fleet  got  into  position 
and  opened  a  furious  fire  until  night  on  Fort  Fisher,  the 
strong  earthworks  on  the  north  side  of  New  Inlet,  twenty 
miles  below  Wilmington,  firing  an  average  of  thirty  shots 
per  minute. 

Previous  to  making  the  attack,  a  torpedo  vessel  on  a 
large  scale,  with  an  amount  of  powder  on  board  supposed 
to  be  sufficient  to  explode  the  powder-magazines  of  the 
fort,  was  prepared  with  great  care,  and  placed  under  the 
command  of  Commander  A.  C.  Rhind,  who  had  asso- 
ciated with  him  on  this  perilous  service  Lieutenant  S.  W. 
Preston,  Second  Assistant  Engineer  A.  T.  E.  Mullan,  of 
the  United  States  steamer  Agawam,  and  Acting  Master's 
Mate  Paul  Boyden,  and  seven  men.  This  vessel,  the 
Louisiana,  disguised  as  a  blockade-runner,  was  towed  in 
on  the  23d  until  within  two  hundred  yards  from  the 
beach,  and  about  four  hundred  from  Fort  Fisher.  Com- 
mander Rhind  anchored  her  securely  there,  and  coolly 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT   REBELLION.  1131 

•went  to  work  to  make  all  his  arrangements  to  blow  her 
up.  This  he  was  enabled  to  do,  owing  to  a  blockade- 
runner  going  in  right  ahead  of  him,  the  forts  making  the 
blockade-runner  signals,  which  they  also  did  to  the  Louis- 
iana. The  gallant  party,  on  leaving  the  vessel,  set  her  on 
fire  under  the  cabin.  Then,  taking  to  their  boats,  they 
made  their  escape  off  to  the  Wilderness,  which  put  off 
shore  with  good  speed,  to  avoid  the  explosion.  At  forty- 
five  minutes  past  one  on  the  morning  of  the  24th  the  ex- 
plosion took  place,  but  the  shock  was  nothing  like  so 
severe  as  was  expected.  It  shook  the  vessel  some,  and 
broke  one  or  two  glasses,  but  nothing  more. 

At  daylight  on  the  24th,  the  fleet  got  under  way,  and 
stood  in,  in  line  of  battle.  At  half-past  eleven  A.  M.,  the 
signal  was  made  to  engage  the  forts,  the  Ironsides  lead- 
ing, and  the  Monadnock,  Canonicus,  and  Mahopac  fol- 
lowing. The  other  divisions  of  the  fleet  followed,  opening 
fire  as  they  got  into  position,  and  the  whole  throwing  a 
shower  of  missiles  upon  the  fort,  which  drove  the  defend- 
ers to  their  casemates. 

It  was  not  until  the  25th  that  the  transports,  which 
had  been  obliged,  on  account  of  a  storm,  to  put  into 
Beaufort,  arrived,  and  it  was  then  arranged  that  the 
troops  should  land  under  cover  of  a  fresh  attack  by 
seventeen  gunboats.  While  the  attack  was  going  on, 
about  three  thousand  men  landed  five  miles  east  of  the 
fleet.  A  reconnoissance  was  then  made  by  General 
Weitzel,  second  in  command  under  Butler,  who  reported 
the  place  so  strong  that,  under  the  circumstances,  it  would 
be  "  butchery  to  order  an  assault."  As  this  opinion  co- 
incided with  that  already  formed  by  General  Butler, 
orders  were  given  to  re-embark  the  troops,  and  the  trans- 
ports thereupon  returned  to  Hampton  Roads. 

While  the  expedition  was  operating  against  Wilming- 
ton, General  Palmer  made  a  co-operative  move  from 
Plymouth,  North  Carolina.  He  sent,  on  the  9th,  an  ex- 
pedition, under  command  of  Colonel  Frankle,  which  pro- 
ceeded to  Gardner's  Bridge,  beyond  Jamestown,  on  the 
Roanoke  River.  The  Ninth  New  Jersey  charged  the 
bridge  in  column  of  platoons,  and  soon  swept  a\vay  the 
small  force  which  held  it.  At  Spring  Green  Church,  the 
Ninth  New  Jersey  and  Twenty-seventh  Massachusetts 
again  fell  upon  the  enemy,  inflicting  considerable  loss, 


1132  HISTORY   OF   THE   GBEAT   REBELLION. 

and  capturing  five  officers  and  thirty  men.  On  the  19th, 
our  forces  proceeded  to  Rainbow  Bluff  on  the  Roanoke, 
and  found  the  enemy  in  force.  Unfortunately,  the  gun- 
boats, which  were  to  have  co-operated,  could  not  do  so 
on  account  of  the  torpedoes  in  the  river.  Colonel  Fraukle's 
expedition,  therefore,  returned  to  Plymouth. 


CHAPTER   LXXII. 

Affairs  at  Petersburg. — Renewed  Attempt  to  Flank  the  Rebel  Right. — 
Battle  at  Hatcher's  Run. — Fighting  on  the  North  Side  of  the  James. — 
Review  of  the  Year. — Importance  of  Sherman's  Operations. — Calls  for 
Troops. — Relative  Strength  of  Armies. — Second  Attack  on  Fort  Fisher. 
— Capture  of  Fort  and  Garrison. 

THE  Army  of  the  Potomac,  under  General  Grant,  re- 
mained before  Petersburg,  occasionally  operating  in  the 
front,  while  Sherman  was  pursuing  his  way  across  Georgia, 
and  Sheridan  was  penetrating  up  the  Shenandoah  Valley. 
It  was  very  evident  that  Lee  was  determined  not  to  leave 
Richmond,  and  also  that  he  could  not  be  driven  out  of  it 
by  a  direct  attack  on  his  front.  The  lieutenant-general 
was  therefore  compelled  to  wait  until  the  operations  of 
Sheridan  and  Sherman  should  bring  those  generals  within 
striking  distance  of  Lee's  rear,  and  thus  compel  the 
evacuation  of  Richmond.  As  it  was  certain  that  Lee 
would  not  commit  the  mistake  of  Hood  at  Atlanta,  but 
would  follow  the  system  of  defence  by  which  Johnston 
had  so  long  delayed  the  advance  of  Sherman,  it  remained 
for  Grant  to  hold  his  enemy  within  his  fortifications,  and 
to  make  occasional  attempts  to  penetrate  the  extended 
line  of  works  which  Lee  opposed  to  him,  in  the  hope  of 
being  able  sooner  or  later  to  reach  the  available  point. 
Accordingly,  soon  after  the  victory  of  Cedar  Creek  by 
Sheridan,  and  when  Sherman  was  following  Hood  into 
Northern  Alabama,  Grant  determined  on  a  renewal  of 
the  grand  movement  by  his  left.  Several  days  were 
consumed  in  preparation,  and,  with  profound  secrecy, 
all  the  sick,  baggage,  and  encumbrances,  commissary 
stores,  &c.,  were  sent  to  City  Point  under  protection  of 
the  gunboats.  Three  days'  rations  and  forage  were  issued 
to  the  cavalry,  and  four  days'  rations  to  the  infantry. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1133 

The  long  line  of  intrenchments  was  divested  of  men,  ex- 
cept a  sufficient  rear- guard. 

The  troops  north,  of  the  James  were  to  make  an  attack, 
while  those  south  of  the  river  were  to  form  a  combined 
movement  upon  Hatcher's  Run.  In  accordance  with  this 
design,  the  Tenth  and  Eighteenth  Corps,  on  Thursday, 
the  27th  of  October,  began  operations  on  the  right.  The 
Tenth  Corps  early  occupied  the  ground  between  the  Dar- 
by town  and  Charles  City  roads,  the  First  Division,  under 
Ames  (late  Terry),  holding  the  right,  the  Second,  Porter 
(late  Turner),  the  centre,  and  the  Third,  Hawley  (late 
Birney),  the  left.  The  centre  having  been  pushed  on  to 
Darbytown,  four  and  a  half  miles  from  Richmond,  a  sharp 
encounter  with  the  enemy's  skirmishers  soon  took  place, 
the  latter  falling  back  upon  a  line  of  intrenchments,  from 
which  a  galling  fire  caused  the  Union  troops  to  recoil  with 
severe  loss.  Towards  evening  the  attack  was  renewed, 
with  the  same  results.  Meanwhile  the  Eighteenth  Corps, 
General  Weitzel  commanding,  took  up  a  position  on  the 
Darbytown  road,  in  the  rear  of  the  Tenth  Corps,  and  then 
continued  its  route  northerly  to  the  Williamsburg  road,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  old  Seven  Pines  or  Fair  Oaks 
battle-ground.  At  four  o'clock  Weitzel  was  across  the 
"Williamsburg  road,  which  the  enemy's  works  commanded. 
Still's  Pennsylvania  Battery  moved  up  the  road  and  en- 
gaged the  enemy's  batteries,  while  a  brigade  of  Marston's 
Division,  on  the  right  of  the  road,  and  one  of  Heckman's, 
on  the  left,  advanced,  supported  by  the  remainder  of  the 
divisions.  The  enemy  made  but  feeble  resistance  until 
the  troops  reached  the  focus  of  his  fire,  when  a  terrible 
discharge  decimated  them  and  broke  the  organization. 
To  retire  was  as  fatal  as  to  advance,  and  the  enemy  com- 
pleted the  disaster  by  sallying  out  and  capturing  portions 
of  the  two  advanced  brigades,  and  driving  back  Still's  bat- 
tery. Dusk  approaching,  the  remainder  of  the  troops 
drew  back  out  of  range.  Holman's  colored  division  mean- 
while had  gallantly  carried  a  two-  gun  redoubt,  but  the 
approach  of  night  compelled  him  to  abandon  it.  The 
whole  force  then  returned  to  camp  under  orders  from  Gen- 
eral Grant.  The  Federal  loss  was  from  twelve  hundred 
to  fifteen  hundred  men,  and  that  of  the  enemy,  according 
to  his  own  account,  about  two  hundred  men.  Thus  ended 
the  feint  on  the  right. 


1134  HISTORY  OP  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 

The  attack  on  the  left  was  undertaken  by  the  Second 
Corps,  aided  by  Gregg's  Cavalry,  which  was  to  march 
round  the  enemy's  right  flank,  turn  it,  and  seize  his  line 
of  defences  on  Hatcher's  Run,  at  the  same  moment  that 
the  Fifth  and  Ninth  Corps  by  direct  approach  should  at- 
tack these  works  in  front.  Accordingly,  the  Second  Corps, 
on  Wednesday  evening,  the  26th,  marched  across  to  the 
Church  road,  and  at  three  and  a  half  o'clock  Thursday 
morning  reached  the  Vaughan  road,  along  which  they  pro- 
ceeded, reaching  Hatcher's  Run  at  half-past  seven  A.  M. 
The  crossing  was  disputed  by  a  small  body  of  men,  who 
were  soon  dispersed.  The  corps  then  proceeded  on  the 
west  side  of  the  run  to  the  Boydton  plankroad,  which  they 
reached  at  a  quarter  past  eleven  A.  M.  Here  Gregg's 
Cavalry  connected  on  the  left,  about  the  same  time  that 
Generals  Grant  and  Meade  arrived  on  the  ground.  Egan's 
Division  was  deployed  on  the  right  of  the  Boydton  plank- 
road,  facing  up  towards  the  bridge  over  Hatcher's  Run, 
and  Mott's  was  deployed  on  the  left  of  the  road.  De 
Trobriand's  Brigade  connected  with  Gregg,  who  held  the 
extreme  left.  One  brigade  was  left  to  take  care  of  the 
enemy  in  our  rear.  In  Egan's  advance  was  Rugg's  Bri- 
gade, and  hi  sskirmishers,  at  the  command,  rushed  forward 
to  Hatcher's  Run,  seized  the  bridge,  and  crossed  the  creek. 

The  next  movement  was  to  carry  the  enemy's  works 
beyond  Hatcher's  Run.  Egan's  Division  was  accordingly 
disposed  with  Rugg's  Brigade  on  the  left,  Price  in  the 
centre,  and  Smyth  on  the  right,  Beck's  Battery  co-opera- 
ting as  before.  McAllister's  Brigade  of  Mott's  Division 
was  in  support  of  Egan.  The  Fifth  Corps  was  now  heard 
firing  rapidly  on  the  right,  and  it  was  expected  that  they 
would  sweep  about  and  effect  a  junction  with  the  Second. 
But,  owing  to  the  exceedingly  perplexing  character  of  the 
country,  and  the  uncertainty  as  to  the  roads,  they  were 
unable  to  do  so.  Of  course,  the  enemy  was  prompt  to 
seize  this  advantage ;  and  about  four  o'clock,  while  we  were 
preparing  to  advance,  Mahone's  Division,  of  Hill's  Corps, 
broke  in  on  the  right  flank  of  Hancock,  and  instantly 
swept  oif  Metcalfs  section  of  Beck's  Battery,  which  was 
there  posted.  Continuing  his  attack,  he  got  across  the 
Boydton  road  and  bore  down  upon  Egan's  Division. 
With  commendable  energy  and  promptitude,  Egan 
changed  front  with  his  own  brigades  and  McAllister's,  and, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1135 

with  the  aid  of*  the  three  batteries,  Beck's  and  Roder's 
Fifth  and  Fourth  regular,  and  Sleeper's  Tenth  Massachu- 
setts (under  Granger),  succeeded  in  repulsing  the  enemy, 
after  a  hard  and  prolonged  fight.  In  the  fury  of  his  first 
onset  against  Smyth's  Brigade,  it  was  driven  back,  several 
hundred  prisoners  captured,  and  our  line  so  disordered  as 
to  allow  the  enemy  to  get  upon  the  plankroad.  A  part  of 
these  prisoners  were  recaptured  by  being  conducted  by 
mistake  into  the  Fifth  Corps'  lines.  Hancock's  prompt 
dispositions,  and  the  firmness  of  Egan's  troops,  soon  ar- 
rested the  disaster  likely  to  follow.  In  his  turn  falling 
upon  the  enemy's  flank,  Egan  drove  him  back,  Smyth's 
and  McAllister's  Brigades  behaving  handsomely,  while 
Mott  promptly  co-operated  with  De  Trobriand's  Brigade. 
*The  enemy  abandoned  Metcalf  s  guns  and  began  to  re- 
treat. But  he  left  three  flags  and  five  or  six  hundred 
prisoners — those  who  had  come  over  on  the  plankroad — 
in  our  possession. 

The  Federal  loss  in  this  affair  was  nine  hundred  killed 
and  wounded  and  four  hundred  prisoners.  This  repulse 
placed  the  column  in  a  precarious  position,  as  the  ammuni- 
tion and  rations  were  growing  scarce,  notwithstanding 
that  sufficient  for  four  days  had  been  served  out.  The 
rain  fell  in  torrents,  and  the  troops  retraced  their  weary 
steps  to  camp,  leaving  some  of  the  wounded  on  the  field. 

Meantime  the  Fifth  and  Ninth  Corps  left  camp  at  day- 
light on  the  27th,  and  during  the  forenoon  got  into  posi- 
tion with  the  Ninth  on  the  right,  and  the  Fifth  on  the 
left,  confronting  the  enemy's  works  at  Hatcher's  Run. 
Here  they  made  demonstrations  and  skirmished  sharply 
during  the  day,  returning  to  camp  at  night.  The  losses 
of  the  two  corps  were  about  four  hundred.  Thus  the 
whole  movement,  which  was  to  have  had  important  results, 
terminated  in  a  return  to  camp,  with  a  loss  on  both  sides 
of  the  James  of  about  three  thousand  men.  The  main 
attack  was  Hancock's,  and  in  case  of  success  the  Fifth  and 
Ninth  were  to  join  him  in  a  general  advance  of  the  whole 
line.  It  appeared  that  the  enemy  were  accurately  in- 
formed of  the  whole  enterprise,  and  no  surprise  was  ef- 
fected. 

Skirmishing  and  small  encounters  were  frequent  after 
after  this  along  the  lines.  On  the  night  of  the  30th,  the 
Sixty-ninth  and  Hundred-and-fourth  New  York  were 


1136  HISTORY  OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

picketed  before  Fort  Daqis,  being  mostly  raw  troops. 
The  enemy,  in  some  force,  passed  into  the  rear,  and  the 
word  having  been  given  to  the  Federal  troops  to  "  fall 
in,"  as  if  they  were  to  be  relieved,  the  entire  line  was 
captured.  Enterprises  of  this  nature,  interspersed  with 
attacks  of  greater  or  lesser  magnitude — continued  up  to 
the  Jirst  week  in  November,  at  which  time  Sherman 
started  on  his  grand  march.  On  the  night  of  November 
5th,  a  rebel  brigade  which  occupied  a  portion  of  the  ene- 
my's line  on  the  plankroad,  and  running  northeasterly 
therefrom,  secretly  advanced,  and  threw  itself  upon  the 
picket  line  of  McAllister's  Brigade,  Mott's  Division,  Second 
Corps,  which  held  our .  intrenchments  opposite  the  same 
point.  The  plan  was  so  well  devised  and  vigorously 
executed  as  to  secure  our  entire  intrenched  picket  line 
for  half  a  mile,  with  the  capture  of  thirty  prisoners.  The 
enemy  immediately  began  to  reverse  our  works,  and  to 
intrench  himself  with  tools  brought  for  that  purpose.  At 
the  same  time,  the  Holcomb  Legion  of  Wallace's  Brigade 
carried  our  picket  line  opposite  the  Crater,  as  the  ruins 
of  the  fort  exploded  by  the  mine  are  called.  The  men 
soon  rallied  in  force  and  recaptured  the  line  of  works. 

Early  in  December,  most  of  Sheridan's  force  from  the 
Yalley  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac — the  six  corps 
arriving  between  the  2d  and  5th  of  December.  Early 's 
troops  also  joined  Lee  in  great  numbers,  and  affairs  in  the 
Yalley  were  once  more  quiet,  Sheridan  remaining  at  Win- 
chester. The  negro  troops  were  now  consolidated  in  one 
corps,  the  Twenty-fifth,  under  the  command  of  General 
Weitzel,  and  sent  north  of  the  James. 

The  year  1864  had  now  reached  its  close,  and,  after  a 
series  of  brilliant  campaigns,  the  prospect  for  the  future 
was  full  of  hope,  notwithstanding  a  temporary  lull  in 
military  operations.  The  only  active  movement  then  in 
progress  was  Sherman's  campaign,  on  the  results  of  which 
the  success  of  the  other  operations  seemed  to  depend.  In 
the  course  of  the  year,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  had, 
under  Grant,  fought  its  way  to  the  banks  of  the  James, 
where  it  held  the  main  rebel  army  as  if  in  a  vice.  The 
Union  troops  had,  under  Sheridan,  driven  the  enemy  far 
up  the  Shenandoah,  and  Hood  had  been  forced  out  of 
Tennessee  by  Thomas  with  the  miserable  wreck  of  an 
army.  The  enemy  had  abandoned  Missouri  and  most  of 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  1137 

§ 

Arkansas,  and  only  held  good  his  grasp  upon  Western 
Louisiana  and  Texas.  We  iiad  also  captured  the  defences 
of  Mobile  Bay.  The  enemy  confronted  us  in  force  chiefly 
in  Virginia,  and  the  only  problem  yet  remaining  to  be 
solved  was  how  long  he  would  be  able  to  maintain  the 
defence.  This  was  decided  by  the  march  of  Sherman 
through  Georgia  to  Savannah,  which  demonstrated  that 
the  people  were  \inable  or  unwilling  to  resist,  and  that  the 
rebel  government  had  exhausted  its  powers.  There  was 
no  force  to  appose  the  free  movement  of  Sherman  on  the 
rear  of  Lee,  and  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  which  had 
done  most  of  the  fighting,  and  to  the  public  eye  achieved 
the  least  success,  continued  to  occupy  Lee,  thus  giving 
to  others  the  opportunity  to  win  the  laurels  of  the  year. 

Meantime,  the  President  made  a  new  call  for  three 
hundred  thousand  men.  The  whole  number  of  troops 
hitherto  called  for,  whether  for  temporary  purposes  merely, 
or  for  the  war,  amounted  in  round  numbers  to  two  mil- 
lions and  a  half ;  though  how  large  a  number  of  these 
rendered  actual  service  it  is  not  now  and  may  never  be 
possible  to  determine.  It  is  very  certain,  however,  that 
the  men  called  for  were  all  needed,  and  had  they  been 
obtained  to  as  a  great  an  extent  as  the  above  figures  would 
seem  to  indicate,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  rebel- 
lion would  have  terminated  much  sooner  than  it  actually 
did.  The  casualties  of  war,  diseases  inherent  to  a  military 
life,  and  the  necessity  of  garrisoning  almost  countless  out- 
posts and  forts,  as  well  as  of  guarding  long  lines  of  com- 
munications, drew  largely  upon  each  successive  levy,  so. 
that  the  large  armies,  intended  for  active  operations  in  the- 
field,  were  barely  kept  up  to  their  necessary  strength,  and 
often  fell  below  it. 

The 'armies  in  the  field,  in  the  spring  of  1864,  numbered' 
nearly  six  hundred  thousand  men ;  and  so  great  were  the 
losses  during  the  year,  that  at  its  close,  notwithstanding 
nine  hundred  thousand  men  had  been  called  for,  the 
numbers  remained  about  the  same.  The  military  supplies, 
produced  during  the  year  included  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  pieces  of  ordnance,  two  thousand  three- 
hundred  and  sixty-one  artillery  carriages  and  caissons, 
eight  hundred  and  two  thousand  five  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  small-arms,  seven  hundred  and  ninety-four  thousand 
and  fifty-five  sets  of  accoutrements  and  harness,,  one  mil- 

70 


1138  HISTORY   OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 

t  > 

lion  six  hundred  and  seventy-four  thousand  two  hundred 
and  forty-four  projectiles  for  cannon,  twelve  million  seven 
hundred  and  forty  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty-six 
pounds  of  bullets  and  lead,  eight  million  four  hundred 
and  nine  thousand  four  hundred  pounds  of  gunpowder, 
one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  millions  four  hundred  and 
ninety  thousand  and  twenty-nine  cartridges  for  small- 
arms.  These  were  complete  articles,  in  addition  to  large 
quantities  of  the  same  kinds  of  supplies  partially  made  up 
at  the  arsenals.  The  ordnance  supplies  furnished  to  the 
military  service  during  the  year  included  one  thousand 
one  hundred  and  forty-one  pieces  of  ordnance,  one  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  and  ninety-six  artillery  carriages  and 
caissons,  four  hundred  and  fifty-five  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred and  ten  small-arms,  five  hundred  and  two  thousand 
and  forty-four  sets  of  accoutrements  and  harness,  one  mil- 
lion nine  hundred  and  thirteen  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  fifty-three  projectiles  for  cannon,  seven  million  six 
hundred  and  twenty-four  thousand  six  hundred  and 
eighty-five  pounds  of  bullets  and  lead,  four  hundred  and 
sixty-four  thousand  five  hundred  and  forty-nine  pounds  of 
artillery  ammunition,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thou- 
sand and  sixty-seven  sets  of  horse  equipments,  one  hun- 
dred and  twelve  million  eighty-seven  thousand  five  hun- 
dred and  fifty-three  cartridges  for  small-arms,  seven 
million  five  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand  and  forty- 
four  pounds  of  gunpowder.  These  supplies  were  in  addi- 
tion to  large  quantities  of  parts  provided  for  repairs  in 
the  field. 

The  forces  of  the  rebels  at  the  commencement  of  1864 
did  not  much  exceed  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
men,  of  whom  they  lost  during  the  year  probably  two 
hundred  thousand.  In  the  same  period  they  were  enabled, 
by  strenuous  exertions,  to  recruit  one  hundred  thousand 
men.  Of  these  probably  one  hundred  thousand  were 
with  Lee  at  Eichmond,  and  the  others  detached  undei 
Hood,  Beauregard,  and  other  generals.  Under  these 
circumstances,  the  necessity  of  arming  the  negroes  or  em- 
ploying them  as  soldiers  was  apparent,  and  the  head  of 
the  rebel  government  recommended  that  course  with  the 
advice  of  General  Lee,  but  the  measure  was  not  promptly 
acted  upon,  and  never  had  any  practical  result.  The  year 
1864,  therefore,  for  the  rebels,  approached  its  close  with- 


HISTORY   OF   THE    GEEAT   REBELLION.  1139 

out  any  apparent  means  of  raising  more  men  to  offset  the 
new  levies  called  for  by  President  Lincoln  to  invigorate 
the  movements  of  Thomas,  Sherman,  and  Grant. 

The  troops  that  had  returned  from  the  Fort  Fisher  expe- 
dition were  re-enforced  at  Fortress  Monroe,  and,  as  the 
Government  was  by  no  means  satisfied  with  the  first 
attempt,  almost  immediately  prepared  for  a  renewal  of 
the  movement.  General  Butler  was,  early  in  January, 
relieved  from  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  James,  and 
General  Terry  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  expedi- 
tionary force,  numbering  somewhat  over  eight  thousand 
men,  and  comprising  Ames's  Second  Division  of  the 
Twenty-fourth  Corps,  and  Hawley's  Second  Brigade  (now 
under  Abbott)  of  Terry's  First  Division,  and  Paine's  Di- 
vision of  the  Twenty-fifth  (colored)  Corps,  with  Myrick's 
and  Lee's  Batteries.  These  went  on  board  transports, 
and,  on  the  night  of  the  6th  and  the  morning  of  the  6th 
of  January,  left  Fortress  Monroe  to  co-operate  with  Ad- 
miral Porter's  fleet,  then  off  Beaufort.  After  some  de- 
tentions, occasioned  by  the  weather,  the  fleet,  on  the  13th, 
moved  upon  Fort  Fisner  in  five  divisions. 

Admiral  Porter  opened  the  bombardment  by  sending 
the  iron-clad  column,  with  the  New  Ironsides  at  its  head, 
directly  upon  Fort  Fisher.  At  half-past  seven  A.  M.  the 
forts  opened  on  them  as  they  approached,  but  they  quietly 
took  up  their  old  positions  within  one  thousand  yards  of 
Fort  Fisher,  and  began  to  fire  about  half-past  eight.  The 
landing  of  the  troops  commenced  at  nine  o'clock,  from 
all  the  transports,  some  of  the  men  eagerly  jumping  into 
the  water,  waist  deep.  In  about  an  hour,  enough  troops 
were  landed  to  push  out  a  skirmish  line,  and  all  the  force 
designed  for  the  attack  was  ashore  before  three  P.  M., 
when  they  took  possession  of  Half  Moon  Battery. 

Before  four,  the  troops  started  down  the  beach  towards 
Fort  Fisher,  with  skirmishers  out.  At  dusk,  they  had 
paused,  out  of  range  of  Fort  Fisher.  Under  cover  of 
the  darkness,  however,  they  moved  on  again,  and  at  ten 
p.  M.  their  camp-fires  showed  the  long  bivouac  line 
across  the  sand-spit,  about  two  miles  from  the  fort. 
Their  right  flank  seemed  to  be  well  covered  by  a  sort  of 
lagoon,  running  between  it  and  the  woods  beyond.  The 
enemy's  two  gunboats,  the  Tallahassee  and  the  Chicka- 
mauga,  shelled  our  lines  from  Cape  Fear  River.  During 


1140  HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT  REBELLION. 

the  eight-hours'  action,  the  iron-clads  showered  shells 
upon  the  devoted  fort  at  the  rate  of  four  per  minute. 
The  whole  number  of  shells  thrown  by  iron-clads  and 
wooden  vessels  was  computed  at  four  per  second. 

During  the  night,  the  enemy  was  re-enforced  and  the 
place  strengthened.  The  14th  was  occupied  by  the 
Union  troops  in  building  breastworks  between  the  Cape 
Fear  Biver  and  the  sea,  and  the  15th  was  fixed  for  the 
assault.  As  a  force  of  the  enemy,  about  five  thousand 
*  strong,  under  Hoke,  was  threatening  to  relieve  the  place 
from  Wilmington,  Abbott's  Brigade  was  placed  in  the 
intrenchments  facing  that  direction.  Ames's  Division 
was  drawn  up  to  assault  the  west  end  of  the  fort,  the 
most  difficult  and  arduous  point.  A  column  of  fourteen 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1141 

hundred  sailors  and  marines,  under  Captain  Breese,  was 
detailed  from  the  fleet  to  assault  the  sea  front,  which  had 
been  so  terribly  demolished  by  the  bombardment  that  it 
was  thought  a  lodgment  might  more  easily  be  effected 
there.  At  daybreak,  the  iron  vessels,  the  Brooklyn,  and 
the  eleven-inch  gunboats  commenced  a  terrible  fire,  under 
cover  of  which,  Ames  moved  his  men  up  to  within  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  fort.  At  ten,  all  the  rest  of 
the  fleet  joined  in  the  tremendous  cannonade,  which  was 
kept  up,  almost  without  intercession,  until  three  P.  M., 
when  the  ships  changed  their  fire  from  the  path  of  the 
assaulting  columns  to  other  works.  At  half-past  three 
p.  M.  the  signal  for  the  assault  was  made.  The  gallant 
column  from  the  fleet  dashed  at  the  sea  front  with  des- 
perate energy,  and  gained  the  parapet.  But  after  a 
short  conflict  and  heavy  loss  it  was  checked  and  driven 
back  in  disorder.  When  re-formed,  it  was  sent  to  the 
defensive  or  Wilmington  line,  to  take  the  place  of  Ab- 
bott's Brigade,  which  had  joined  Ames.  The  attack  on 
the  sea  front,  though  a  failure,  diverted  a  part  of  the 
enemy's  attention,  and  made  the  attack  of  the  main 
storming  column  by  so  much  the  easier. 

Promptly  at  the  word  of  command,  our  gallant  column 
of  between  three  thousand  and  four  thousand  men,  prin- 
cipally of  the  old  Tenth  Corps,  rushed  upon  the  works. 
The  enemy's  force  in  the  fort  was  over  two  thousand  two 
hundred  strong.  Colonel  Curtis  led  the  attack,  and,  after 
a  splendid  assault,  effected  a  lodgment  on  the  west 
end  of  the  land  front.  Pennypacker  instantly  followed 
with  his  brigade,  and  then  Bell  with  his.  Every  one  of 
these  leaders  fell  wounded,  the  former  severely,  the  second 
dangerously,  and  Bell  mortally.  At  five  o'clock,  after 
the  most  desperate  fighting,  foot  by  foot,  and  with  the 
severest  loss,  we  got  possession  of  about  half  the  land 
front.  Then  Abbott  came  up  from  the  defensive  line,  the 
marines  taking  his  place.  Once  more  the  attack  went 
on.  At  ten  o'clock,  after  six  and  a  half  hours  of  splen- 
did fighting,  the  last  trenches  were  cleared  of  the  enemy, 
and  Fort  Fisher  was  ours. 

General  Whitney  and  Colonel  Lamb,  the  commanders 
of  the  fort,  with  their  officers  and  men — over  eighteen 
hundred  in  all — surrendered  unconditionally  about  twelve 
at  night.  All  the  works  south  of  Fort  Fisher  fell  also 


1142  HISTORY   OF  THE   QKEAT   REBELLION. 

into  our  hands.  The  enemy's  loss  was,  first,  Fort  Fisher 
and  all  its  chain  of  outworks,  with  all  their  contents — 
seventy-two  guns,  Borne  of  large  calibre  and  rifled,  and 
one  Armstrong  gun — and  the  camp  and  garrison  equipage 
and  stores,  including  sixteen  days'  rations ;  second,  the 
loss  of  Cape  Fear  River  and  its  facilities  for  running  the 
blockade ;  third,  a  garrison  of  two  thousand  two  hundred 
men,  of  whom  four  hundred  were  killed  and  wounded, 
*and  eighteen  hundred  captured.  General  Whitney  and 
Colonel  Lamb  were  wounded.  On  our  side,  not  a  ship 
nor  a  transport  was  lost,  and  but  little  damage  was  done 
to  the  fleet.  Our  loss  in  officers  and  men  was  very  large 
— something  over  one  thousand  in  all,  of  wThich  about 
nine  hundred  fell  upon  the  army,  and  two  hundred  on 
the  fleet.  Among  these  were  Colonels  Bell  and  Moore, 
and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Lyman,  killed,  and  Colonels  Cur- 
tis, Pennypacker,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Coaii,  badly 
wounded.  In  the  fleet,  Lieutenants  Preston  and  Porter 
were  killed,  and  Lieutenants  Lamson,  Bache,  and  others 
wounded.  By  some  mismanagement  the  magazine  blew 
up,  killing  about  three  hundred  of  the  garrison. 


CHAPTEE   LXXIII. 

Capture  of  Remaining  Defences  on  Cape  Fear  River. — Schofield  Ordered 
from  Tennessee. — Fort  Anderson  Taken. — Occupation  of  Wilmington. — 
Movement  on  Kinston. — Goldsboro. — Gillmore  before  Charleston. — 
Evacuation  of  the  City  by  Hardee. — Flag  Restored  to  Fort  Sumter. — 
Sheridan  in  the  Valley. — His  Raid. — Great  Destruction  of  Rebel  Prop- 
erty.— Joins  Meade. 

THE  holding  of  the  forts  on  the  Cape  Fear  River  was 
regarded  by  General  Lee  as  of  vital  consequence  to  his 
position  at  Richmond ;  nevertheless,  on  the  fall  of  Fort 
Fisher  it  became  apparent  that  the  other  places  could  not 
be  defended.  On  the  16th  of  January,  the  enemy  blew 
up  Forts  Caswell  and  Campbell,  and  abandoned  them 
and  the  works  on  Smith's  Island,  also  those  at  Smithville 
and  Reeves's  Point,  which  were  occupied  by  the  navy. 
The  whole  number  of  guns  captured  exceeded  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty.  A  large  number  of  small-arms  also  fell 
into  our  hands,  besides  quantities  of  ordnance  and  com- 
missary stores. 


HISTOEY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1143 

On  the  18th,  General  Paine  reconnoitred  in  force 
towards  Wilmington,  and  found  the  enemy  about  two 
miles  distant.  After  a  slight  skirmish  he  fell  back  to  his 
intrenchmeuts.  On  the  19th,  one  of  our  dispatch  boats 
was  severely  handled  by  the  guns  of  Fort  St.  Philip,  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  river,  and  forced  to  return.  The 
same  day,  General  Paine  made  another  reconnoissance, 
found  the  enemy  as  before,  two  miles  distant,  had  another 
severe  skirmish,  and  retired. 

The  forts  which  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  navy,  up  to 
January  21st,  and  subsequently  to  the  fall  of  Fisher,  were 
officially  reported  as  follows : 

lieeves's  Point — Two  ten-inch  guns. 

Above  Smithville — Two  ten-inch  guns. 

Srnithville — Four  ten-inch  guns. 

Fort  Caswell — Ten  ten-inch  guns,  two  nine-inch,  one 
Armstrong,  and  four  thirty-twos  (rifled),  two  thirty-twos 
(smooth),  three  eight-inch,  one  Parrott  (twenty-pounder), 
three  rifled  field-pieces,  three  guns  (bored) — twenty-nine 
guns. 

Forts  Campbell  and  Shaw — Six  ten-inch,  six  thirty- 
twos  (smooth),  one  thirty-two  (rifled),  one  eight-inch,  six 
field-pieces,  two  mortars — twenty-two  guns. 

Smith's  Island — Three  ten-inch,  six  thirty-twos 
(smooth),  two  thirty-twos  (rifled),  four  field-pieces,  two 
mortars — seventeen  guns.  Keported  at  the  other  end  of 
Smith's  Island,  six  guns. 

Total  captured,  eighty-three  guns. 

Wilmington,  to  which  the  enemy  had  gradually  fallen 
back,  as  the  force  accumulated  in  their  front,-  was  de- 
fended by  General  Bragg. 

While  these  events  were  occurring,  General  Schofield, 
who,  with  the  twenty-third  Army  Corps,  was  on  his  way 
to  Eastport,  Mississippi,  received  orders  to  proceed  with 
his  troops  to  North  Carolina.  At  that  time  the  De- 
partment of  North  Carolina  was  created,  and  Scho- 
field assigned  to  its  command,  with  orders  to  occupy 
Goldsboro  and  open  up  communication  with  the  coast, 
and  unite  with  Sherman.  In  pursuance  of  this  plan,  he 
landed  at  the  mouth  of  Cape  Fear  River,  February  9th, 
with  the  Third  Division,  Cox,  near  Fort  Fisher.  At  that 
time,  General  Terry,  with  eight  thousand  men,  held  a 
line  across  the  peninsula  formed  by  the  ocean  and  the 


1144  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

Cape  Fear  River,  occupying  Smithville  and  Fort  Cas- 
well,  with  his  flanks  covered  by  the  fleet,  under  Admiral 
Porter.  The  enemy  occupied  Fort  Anderson,  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  river,  with  a  collateral  line  running  to  a 
large  swamp  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  distant,  and  a 
line  opposite  Fort  Anderson,  running  across  the  peninsula 
from  Cape  Fear  River  to  Masonboro  Sound.  His  posi- 
tion was  impregnable  against  direct  attack,  and  could  be 
turned  only  by  crossing  Masonboro  Sound  above  his  left, 
or  passing  around  the  swamp  which  covered  his  right. 
On  the  llth  of  February,  Schofield  pushed  forward 
Terry's  line,  supported  by  Cox's  Division,  drove  in  the 
enemy's  pickets,  and  intrenched  in  a  new  position,  close 
enough  to  the  enemy's  line  to  compel  him  to  hold  the  lat- 
ter in  force. 

The  weather  presented  many  obstacles  to  a  combined 
movement  with  boats  on  the  enemy's  left.  Hence  Gen- 
eral Schofield  directed  his  attention  to  the  enemy's  right, 
where  he  would  not  have  to  contend  with  the  difficul- 
ties of  both  land  and  sea.  Cox's  and  Ames's  Divisions 
were  crossed  over  to  Smithville,  where  they  were  joined 
by  Moore's  Brigade  of  Couch's  Division,  which  had  just 
debarked,  and  advanced  along  the  main  Wilmington 
road  until  they  encountered  the  enemy's  position  at  Fort 
Anderson  and  adjacent  works.  Here  two  brigades  were 
intrenched  to  occupy  the  enemy,  while  Cox,  with  his 
other  two  brigades  and  Ames's  Division,  started  around 
the  swamp,  covering  the  enemv's  right,  to  strike  the  Wil- 
mington road  in  rear  of  Fort  Anderson.  The  distance  to 
be  travelled  was  about  fifteen  miles.  The  enemy,  warned 
by  his  cavalry  of  Cox's  movement,  hastily  abandoned  his 
works  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  during  the  night  of  Feb- 
ruary 19th,  and  fell  back  behind  Town  Creek  on  the 
west,  and  to  a  corresponding  position,  covered  by  swamps, 
on  the  east.  Possession  was  thus  gained  of  the  main 
defences  of  Cape  Fear  River  and  of  Wilmington,  with 
ten  pieces  of  heavy  ordnance  and  a  large  amount  of 
ammunition.  Our  loss  was  but  trifling. 

On  the  following  day,  Cox  pursued  the  enemy  to  Town 
Creek,  behind  which  he  was  found  intrenched,  having 
destroyed  the  only  bridge.  Terry  also  encountered  the 
enemy  in  superior  force  in  his  new  position,  and,  in  con- 
sequence, Ames's  Division  was  brought  over  to  the  east 


HI8TOET   OF  THE   GEEAT  REBELLION.  1145 

bank  during  the  night  of  the  19th.  On  the  20th,  Cox 
crossed  Town  Creek  below  the  enemy's  position,  and, 
reaching  the  enemy's  flank  and  rear,  attacked  and  routed 
him,  capturing  two  pieces  of  artillery  and  three  hundred 
and  seventy-live  prisoners.  The  next  morning  he  pushed 
on  towards  Wilmington  without  opposition.  Terry  was 
unable  to  make  any  further  advance,  but  occupied  the 
attention  of  all  of  Hoke's  force,  so  that  he  could  not  send 
any  to  replace  that  which  Cox  had  destroyed.  On  the 
21st,  Cox  secured  a  portion  of  the  enemy's  pontoon 
bridge  across  Brunswick  River,  which  he  had  attempted 
to  destroy,  put  a  portion  of  his  troops  on  to  Eagle 
Island,  and  threatened  to  cross  the  Cape  Fear  above  Wil- 
mington. The  enemy  at  once  set  fire  to  his  steamers, 
cotton,  and  military  and  naval  stores,  and  abandoned  the 
town.  Our  troops  entered  without  opposition  early  in 
the  morning  of  February  22d,  and  Terry  pursued  the 
enemy  across  Northeast  River.  Our  total  loss  in  the 
operations  from  February  llth  to  the  capture  of  Wil- 
mington was  about  two  hundred  officers  and  men  killed 
and  wounded.  That  of  the  enemy  was  not  less  than  one 
thousand  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners ;  fifty-one  pieces 
of  heavy  ordnance,  fifteen  light  pieces,  and  a  large 
amount  of  ammunition  fell  into  our  hands. 

Meantime  a  force  of  five  thousand  troops  had  been 
ordered  forward  from  Newbern,  under  General  Palmer,  to 
occupy  Kinston,  with  the  view  of  moving  thence  upon 
Goldsboro  and  tapping  the  main  railway  line  between 
Richmond  and  Savannah.  As  soon  as  Wilmington  was 
secured,  Schofield  sent  Ruger's  Division,  Twenty-third 
Army  Corps,  which  was  then  arriving  at  Cape  Fear  Inlet, 
by  sea  to  Morehead  City,  to  re-enforce  the  column  moving 
from  Newbern.  On  the  25th,  finding  that  Palmer  had 
not  moved,  as  was  expected,  he  sent  Cox  to  take  command 
at  Newbern  and  push  forward  at  once.  The  divisions  of 
Couch  and  Cox  were  also  sent  thither,  but,  owing  to  great 
difficulty  of  transportation,  it  was  March  6th  before  the 
movement  upon  Kinston  was  commenced.  On  that  day, 
Couch  marched  from  Newbern  with  the  Second  and  Third 
Divisions  of  the  Twenty-third  Corps,  and  on  the  8th, 
General  Cox  advanced  to  Wise's  Forks,  where  he  was 
joined  by  Schofield  in  person.  The  force  in  front  of  the 
Union  troops,  consisting  of  Hoke's  Division  and  a  small 


1146  HISTOET  OF  THE  GEEAT  REBELLION. 

body  of  reserves,  had  fallen  back  behind  Southwest  Creek, 
and  General  Cox  had  sent  two  regiments,  under  Colonel 
TJpham,  Fifteenth  Connecticut  Infantry,  to  secure  the 
crossing  of  the  creek  on  the  Dover  road.  The  enemy, 
having  been  re-enforced  by  a  portion  of  the  old  Army  of 
Tennessee,  recrossed  the  creek  some  distance  above  the 
Dover  road,  came  down  in  rear  of  Colonel  Upham's  posi- 
tion, and  surprised  and  captured  nearly  his  entire  com- 
mand, about  seven  hundred  men.  The  enemy  then  ad- 
vanced and  endeavored  to  penetrate  between  Carter's  and 
Palmer's  Divisions,  occupying  the  Dover  road  and  the 
railroad  respectively,  but  was  checked  by  Ruger's  Divi- 
sion, which  was  just  arriving  upon  the  field. 

On  the  9th  the  enemy  pressed  our  lines  strongly,  and 
felt  for  its  flanks.  Heavy  skirmishing  was  kept  up  dur- 
ing the  day,  but  no  assault  was  made.  On  the  10th,  the 
enemy,  having  been  largely  re-enforced,  and,  doubtless, 
learning  of  the  approach  of  Couch's  column,  made  a  heavy 
attack  upon  Cox's  left  and  centre,  but  was  decisively  re- 
pulsed, and  with  heavy  loss.  Both  attacks  were  met 
mainly  by  Ruger's  Division,  a  portion  of  that  division 
having  been  rapidly  transferred  from  the  centre  to  the 
left,  to  meet  the  attack  there,  and  then  returned  to  the 
centre  in  time  to  repel  the  attack  on  that  portion  of  the 
line.  The  enemy  retreated,  leaving  his  killed  and  wound- 
ed, and,  during  the  night,  fell  back  across  the  Neuse,  and 
burned  the  bridge.  Our  loss  in  this  engagement  was 
about  three  hundred  killed  and  wounded ;  that  of  the 
enemy  probably  about  fifteen  hundred  in  killed,  wounded, 
and  missing.  Couch  effected  his  junction  with  Cox  on 
the  following  day. 

Having  no  pontoon  train,  Schofield  could  not  cross  the 
!N"euse  until  the  14th,  when  the  enemy,  having  abandoned 
Kinston,  moved  rapidly  towards  Smithfield  to  join  the 
force  under  Johnston,  which  was  concentrating  to  oppose 
the  advance  of  Sherman  from  Fayetteville.  Immediately 
upon  the  occupation  of  Kinston,  Schofield  put  a  large 
force  of  troops  to  work  upon  the  railroad,  in  aid  of  the 
Construction  Corps  under  Colonel  Wright,  rebuilt  the 
wagon  bridge  over  the  Neuse,  and  brought  forward  sup- 
plies preparatory  to  a  further  advance.  He  moved  from 
Kinston  on  the  morning  of  the  20th,  and  entered  Golds- 
boro',  with  but  slight  opposition,  on  the  evening  of  the 


HISTORY   OF  THE  GREAT  KEBELLION.  114:7 

21st.  The  portion  of  the  command  which  had  remained 
at  Wilmington,  under  Terry,  moved  from  that  point 
March  15th,  reached  Faison's  Depot  on  the  20th,  and,  in 
compliance  with  Sherman's  orders,  moved  from  that  point 
to  Cox's  Bridge,  and  secured  a  crossing  of  the  Neuse 
on  the  22d. 

On  the  8th  of  February,  General  Gillmore  succeeded  to 
the  command  of  the  Department  of  the  South,  with  head- 
quarters at  Hilton  Head.  The  city  of  Charleston  was 
then  held  by  General  Hardee  with  a  force  of  twelve  thou- 
sand to  fifteen  thousand  men,  comprising  the  regular  gar- 
rison and  the  troops  which  had  retreated  from  Savannah. 
The  city  had  withstood  during  nearly  three  years  all 
attempts  to  reduce  it.  This,  on  account  of  its  enormously 
strong  natural  position,  had  been  comparatively  easy. 
But  now  it  became  exposed  to  a  series  of  operations  of  an 
entirely  different  nature  from  those  which  had  formerly 
been  undertaken  against  it.  Sherman,  from  Savannah, 
wTas  penetrating  into  North  Carolina,  and  was,  on  Febru- 
ary llth,  at  Branchville,  on  the  South  Carolina  Eailroad, 
thus  cutting  Charleston  off  from  communication  with  the 
interior.  The  defences  of  Cape  Fear  River  below  Fort 
Anderson  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Federals,  and 
although  General  Bragg  professed  himself  able  to  hold 
Wilmington,  grave  doubts  of  his  ability  to  do  so  were  en- 
tertained, and  with  the  fall  of  Wilmington,  communica- 
tion with  the  North  would  be  threatened.  Under  these 
circumstances,  General  Gillmore  was  no  sooner  in  com- 
mand than  he  landed  a  considerable  force  upon  James 
Island,  and  after  some  sharp  fighting  established  himself 
within  two  miles  of  the  city.  With  Savannah  and 
its  communications  in  the  hands  of  the  Union  troops,  with 
Sherman  and  his  large  force  holding  the  North  Carolina 
Railroad  at  Branchville,  with  Wilmington  virtually  in 
the  hands  of  Schofield,  and  Gillmore  established  within 
two  miles  of  the  city  on  James  Island,  it  became  very 
evident  that  Hardee  had  no  alternative  but  to  leave.  If 
he  could  carry  off  his  garrison  it  would  be,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, as  much  as  he  could  hope  for.  This  he  suc- 
ceeded in  doing.  The  evacuation  commenced  on  the  16th, 
and  by  the  next  night  the  last  of  the  troops  had  left. 
About  midnight  the  enemy  fired  the  upper  part  of  the 
city,  burning  up  the  railroad  buildings  and  several  thou- 


1148  HISTORY   OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 

sand  bales  of  cotton.  The  buildings  contained,  besides 
the  cotton,  a  large  quantity  of  rice  and  two  hundred  kegs 
of  powder.  About  half-past  three  o'clock  the  powder 
blew  up,  with  a  terrific  explosion,  killing  or  mutilating 
about  one  hundred  of  the  poor  people  who  were  getting 
the  rice.  At  daylight,  the  rebel  rams  in  the  harbor,  near 
the  city,  were  blown  up. 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th,  the  mayor  of  the  city  sent 
a  note  to  General  Gillmore  stating  that  the  Confederate 
military  authorities  had  departed,  and  at  nine  A.  M.  the 
city  of  Charleston,  with  Fort  Sumter,  Fort  Moultrie,  Castle 
Pinckney,  and  all  its  defensive  works,  and  all  its  contents, 
were  surrendered  to  us.  Nearly  all  the  rebel  troops  had 
gone,  and  only  a  few  men  remained.  Our  forces  were 
promptly  moved  up  to  the  city,  and,  amid  deafening  cheers, 
the  national  flag  once  more  streamed  from  the  parapet  of 
Fort  Sumter.  In  the  fort  were  nine  guns — four  columbiads 
and  five  howitzers.  The  cruel  firing  of  the  city  by  the  en- 
emy, and  the  explosion  of  its  magazines,  spread  devastation 
far  and  wide.  Our  troops  were  at  once  set  to  work  to  quell 
the  flames,  but  probably  two-thirds  of  the  place  were  de- 
stroyed. The  lower  part  of  the  city  within  reach  of  our 
guns  was  in  eifect  a  ruin,  and  was  almost  uninhabited.  Com- 
paratively few  persons  dared  to  remain  there.  Some  of  the 
houses  were  knocked  down.  Bricks  and  timbers  were  lying 
everywhere,  and  the  streets  in  particular  were  strewn  with 
the  fragments,  in  many  places  entirely  obstructing  travel. 
Shells  were  lying  among  the  ruins.  T^he  appearance  of  the 
city,  the  lower  part  uninhabited  and  the  upper  part  in 
flames,  is  described  as  dreary  and  desolate  in  the  extreme. 
Among  our  captures  were  over  two  hundred  pieces  of  good 
artillery  and  a  supply  of  fine  ammunition.  The  enemy 
burned  his  cotton  warehouses,  arsenals,  quartermaster 
stores,  railroad  bridges,  two  iron-clads,  and  some  vessels  in 
the  ship-yards.  Some  of  the  enemy's  troops  remained  to 
plunder,  and  succeeded  in  their  object.  Several  hundred 
deserters  were  concealed  in  the  houses  in  Charleston,  and 
when  our  troops  entered  they  surrendered.  The  main 
army  moved  on  northward,  in  numbers  conjectured  to  be 
about  fourteen  thousand  strong.  There  remained  in  the 
city  only  about  ten  thousand  persons  of  the  poorer  classes, 
who  had  had  no  means  of  making  their  escape,  and  who 
were  now  suffering  from  want  of  food. 


HISTORY  OP   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1149 

The  surrender  of  Charleston  took  place  on  the  fourth  an- 
niversary of  the  inauguration  of  Jefferson  Davis  as  presi- 
dent of  the  "  Southern  Confederacy."  The  actual  siege  of 
the  city  was  commenced  July  10th,  1863,  when  Gillmore 
landed  on  Morris  Island,  and  had  thus  lasted  five  hundred 
and  eighty-five  days.  The  city  had  actually  been  under 
fire  five  hundred  and  forty-two  days. 

As  the  surrender  of  Sumter  had  produced  an  impression 
on  the  public  mind  too  deep  to  be  readily  forgotten,  the 
President,  with  a  view  of  commemorating  its  restoration 
to  the  national  authority,  directed  Major-Gen eral  Robert 
Anderson  to  raise  the  stars  and  stripes  on  the  battlements 
of  Fort  Sumter  on  the  13th  of  April,  1865,  the  anniversary 
of  the  day  he  consented  to  evacuate  it,  after  a  protracted 
and  gallant  resistance,  when  his  ammunition  and  provi- 
sions were  exhausted. 

The  next  seaport  destined  to  fall  was  Mobile,  which  was, 
early  in  March,  occupied  by  the  Confederate  General  Dick 
Taylor,  with  Maury  commanding  the  defences  of  the  city, 
and  F.  H.  Gardner  in  the  field.  His  forces  numbered 
about  fifteen  thousand  men.  The  defences  of  Mobile  were 
strong.  Beauregard  and  Taylor  had  been  at  work  upon 
them  for  months,  employing  thousands  of  negroes  in  in- 
trenching. The  garrison,  however,  was  inadequate  to  man 
the  elaborate  works  intended  to  protect  the  place.  Xot 
only  had  the  operations  of  Lee  and  Johnston  heavily 
drained  the  old  army  of  Hood,  but  a  cavalry  demonstra- 
tion of  Wilson  through  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  then  in 
progress,  distracted  the  attention  of  the  force  which  re- 
mained. Few  but  raw  Alabama  troops  were  around  Mo- 
bile. Among  the  harbor  defences  was  Spanish  Fort,  an 
irregular  bastioned  work,  with  fortifications  five  miles  in 
length,  commencing  at  D'Olive's  Creek  and  running  to 
Minetta  Bay.  It  was  built  by  De  Soto  in  1540.  The  guns 
were  in  embrasures.  The  main  defence  of  Mobile  was  at 
this  point.  From  the  land  side,  on  the  right  of  Spanish 
Fort,  were  two  bastions,  encircled  with  rifle  pits,  chevaux- 
de-frise,  trenches,  and  torpedoes.  The  fortifications  on 
the  extreme  right  were  covered  by  the  works  on  the  left 
of  Blakeley.  Pinto  Island,  to  the  right,  covers  Spanish 
Kiver,  and  commands  Christian  Pass.  Mobile  Bay,  be- 
yond Blakeley  River,  was  filled  with  torpedoes.  A  large 
number  of  torpedoes  were  also  buried  in  the  earth  in  front 


1150  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

of  Spanish  Fort,  near  the  rebel  rifle-pits.  Forts  linger, 
Bradley,  Tracy,  Battery  Gladden,  Spanish  River  Battery, 
Blakeley,  and  other  rebel  strongholds,  were  in  front  and  to 
the  left.' 

Preparations  for  attack  had  been  in  progress  some  time. 
Granger's  Thirteenth  Corps  had  long  been  concentrated 
on  Mobile  Point.  A.  J.  Smith's  Sixteenth  Corps  was  sent 
by  transport  from  New  Orleans  to  Dauphin  Island,  oppo- 
site Mobile  Point,  the  greater  part  arriving  at  Fort  Gaines 
on  the  12th  of  March.  All  the  cavalry  were  under  Grier- 
son,  and — recently  largely  re-enforced  from  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland — had  left  for  Mobile  Point,  crossing  Pont- 
chartrain.  General  Steele's  negro  division  was  near  Pen- 
sacola.  On  the  18th  of  March,  Moore's  First  Brigade  of 
Carr's  THird  Division  of  the  Sixteenth  Corps,  about  two 
thousand  strong,  left  Dauphin  Island  to  effect  a  landing  on 
Cedar  Point,  above  Fort  Powell,  and  to  clear  the  way  for 
the  rest  of  the  corps.  On  the  day  previous,  Bertram's 
Brigade  of  the  Second  Division  of  the  Thirteenth  Corps, 
which  had  been  transported  across  from  Dauphin  Island  to 
Mobile  Point,  the  mainland,  forthat  purpose,  advanced  on 
Mobile  along  that  side  of  the  bay.  In  order  to  make  the 
movement  of  all  three  columns  simultaneous,  on  the  18th, 
General  Steele's  column  started  from  Pensacola  and  Bar- 
rancas, on  a  march  to  Blakeley  Landing,  at  which  point 
they  were  to  unite  with  Granger's  column  starting  from 
Fort  Morgan,  and  marching  up  the  east  side  of  the  bay. 
Granger's  whole  corps  followed  the  advance  brigade, 
marcliing  by  land  along  the  shore  of  Bon  Secour  JBay, 
which  forms  the  southeastern  corner  of  Mobile  Bay. 

The  rendezvous  for  the  army  was  on  Fish  River,  at 
Donnelly's  (or  Danby's)  Mills,  situated  about  six  or  eight 
miles  up  the  river,  twenty  or  more  from  Fort  Gaines,  and 
thirty  from  Mobile.  The  next  day  Smith's  Corps  moved 
on  transports  to  the  same  point,  Me  Arthur's  First  Division 
in  advance,  Garrard's  Second  following,  and  Carr's  Third 
in  the  rear.  On  the  20th  the  corps  began  to  arrive  at  the 
appointed  place,  and  were  all  disembarked  by  night  of  the 
21st.  On  the  22d  and  23d,  Granger's  Corps  got  in.  The 
roads  were  wretched,  and  the  troops  often  forced  to  great 
labor  in  extricating  the  artillery  and  trains  from  the  mire. 
Bertram's  advance  easily  drove  away  the  enemy's  cavalry 
vedettes. 


HISTORY   OF   THE  GEEAT   REBELLION.  1151 

On  the  25th,  the  advance  through  the  pine  forests  was 
commenced,  from  Fish  River  towards  Blakeley,  McArthur's 
Division  skirmishing,  and  Colonel  Marshall,  commanding 
its  Third  Brigade,  being  amongst  the  wounded.  On  the 
26th,  the  forces  advanced  from  Fish  River,  the  Sixteenth 
Corps  moving  on  the  right,  towards  Blakeley,  and  the  Thir- 
teenth on  the  left,  towards  Spanish  Fort,  which  commands 
Minetta  Bay.  The  Thirteenth  drove  the  enemy's  cavalry 
back  to  the  fort.  The  Sixteenth  compelled  the  force  in  its 
front,  also,  to  fall  back,  until  Sibley's  Mills  was  reached. 
On  the  27th,  the  enemy  in  front  of  Spanish  Fort  attempt- 
ed to  surprise  the  pickets  of  the  Thirteenth  Corps.  After 
a  few  moments,  brisk  firingthe  rebels  were  repulsed.  We 
lost  four  men  wounded.  Both  corps  now  marched  into 
position,  to  invest  Spanish  Fort,  the  enemy  falling  back  to 
Blakeley.  The  Sixteenth  formed  the  right,  and  the  Thir- 
teenth the  left,  the  divisions  being  posted  in  the  line  as 
follows,  from  right  to  left :  Carr,  McArthur,  Yeach,  Ben- 
ton,  Bertram's  Brigade.  Garrard  was  in  the  rear,  guard- 
ing the  trains.  The  artillery  was  brought  to  within  five 
hundred  yards  of  the  fort,  and  opened  a  heavy  fire.  About 
eleven  o'clock  the  fleet  got  under  way,  and  proceeded  up 
the  bay  as  far  as  Newport  and  Howard's  Landings,  below 
Spanish  Fort,  on  the  same,  i.  e.,  the  easterly  shore  of  the 
bay.  The  Metacomet,  Stockdale,  Milwaukee,  Cincinnati, 
Albatross,  Winnebago,  and  Genesee  opened  fire  at  a  quar- 
ter to  one  P.  M.,  doing  considerable  damage.  They  ceased 
firing  at  twenty  minutes  past  five  p.  M.,  and  returned  to 
Great  Point  Clear  to  anchor  for  the  night. 

It  was  necessary  that  the  fleet  should  attack  Spanish 
Fort  on  the  water  side,  while  the  army  invested  it  on  the 
land  side.  On  the  28th  the  Milwaukee  exploded  a  torpe- 
do, and  instantly  filled  and  sank.  Only  one  man  was 
injured,  however,  and  as  the  water  was  but  eleven  feet 
deep,  the  crew  were  all  saved.  Next  day,  the  29th,  the 
Chickasaw,  Kickapoo,  Winnebago,  and  the  Octorara,  be- 
ing in  line,  the  Osage,  which  was  a  short  distance  astern, 
struck  a  torpedo  on  the  starboard  bow,  and  instantly  sank. 
Six  men  were  killed  or  mortally  wounded,  and  four  others 
wounded.  The  rest  of  the  officers  and  crew  were  saved 
•unhurt. 

Bombardment  and  skirmishes  continued,  with  more  or 
less  loss,  until  April  3d,  when  the  place,  by  the  arrival  of 


1152  HISTOKY   OF   THE   GREAT   EEBELLION. 

Steele's  force,  which  was  to  have  joined  Granger  on  the 
22d,  was  finally  invested.  Just  before  midnight  of  the 
8th,  the  final  preparations  were  completed,  Within  half 
a  mile  of  the  fort  over  thirty  heavy  Parrott  guns  and  mor- 
tars had  been  mounted,  and  three  light  batteries  were 
thrown  forward  several  hundred  yards  nearer.  The  en- 
tire artillery,  siege-guns  and  field-pieces,  then  opened  a 
terrific  fire  on  the  fort,  which  was  completely  hemmed  in 
by  our  lines,  while  the  gunboats,  which  had  done  the  same 
office  by  water,  cutting  off  communication  with  Mobile, 
added  their  contribution  to  the  general  roar  and  flame. 
Simultaneously,  the  skirmishers  crept  forward  from  trench 
to  trench  and  ridge  to  ridge,  until  they  had  soon  got  with- 
in a  hundred  yards  of  the  fort,  and  prevented,  by  the 
accuracy  of  their  fire,  the  rebel  artillerists  from  managing 
the  unsheltered  guns.  The  enemy  responded  briskly  and 
heavily  at  first  to  our  bombardment ;  but,  as  the  battle 
went  on,  he  was  gradually  driven  from  his  guns  by  the  hot 
fire,  and  replied  more  and  more  feebly,  until  at  midnight, 
lie  was  silenced.  An  hour  afterwards  the  enemy  surren- 
dered, our  troops  pressing  upon  his  intrenchments,  and 
entering  them  about  two  ex  clock  on  the  morning  of  the  9th. 

The  capture  of  Mobile  was  now  assured.  The  enemy 
commenced  evacuating  it  on  the  10th,  and  continued  to  do 
so  on  the  llth,  at  which  time  the  work  was  complete.  At 
half-past  ten  o'clock  on  the  12th,  our  troops  planted  their 
colors  on  batteries  Porter  and  Mclntosh,  and,  four  hours 
later,  in  -Mobile,  the  second  seaport  of  the  Confederacy. 
General  Granger's  forces  occupied  the  city.  The  tugboat 
Allena  was  blown  up  by  torpedoes  on  the  same  day.  The 
total  loss  of  our  fleet  was  said  to  have  been  two  iron-clads, 
two  tin-clads,  and  one  transport,  all,  or  nearly  all,  blown 
up  by  torpedoes.  The  loss  of  men  in  the  fleet  was  less  than 
fifty.  That  of  the  army  about  two  thousand  five  hundred. 

While  these  events  were  culminating  at  the  South, 
Sheridan  was  once  more  in  motion  at  the  North.  That 
general,  who  had  retained  his  headquarters  at  Winchester 
with  a  moderate  force,  was  contemplating  a  renewed 
movement  up  the  Valley.  The  concentration  of  the  ene- 
my's troops  around  Lee  had  left  but  a  small  rebel  force  in 
the  Valley.  Accordingly,  towards  the  close  of  February, 
preparations  were  made  for  an  extensive  cavalry  raid,  and 
General  Hancock  was  installed  in  command  of  the  Middle 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GKEAT   KEBELLION.  1153 

Military  Division,  as  General  Thomas  had  been  in  Ten- 
nessee, on  the  departure  of  Sherman.  The  enemy,  under 
Rosser,  were  scattered  at  various  places  in  the  Valley,  viz., 
Waynesboro',  Woodstock,  Edenburg,  and  Staunton ;  the 
main  body  was  at  the  latter-named  place,  Neal's  and  Wood- 
son's  guerrillas  in  Hardy  County,  Gilmor's  Battalion  in 
Pendleton  County,  Imboden's  command  in  Bath  and  ad- 
jacent counties. 

At  eight  A.  M.,  on  February  27th,  the  troops  began  their 
march  from  Winchester,  reaching  Woodstock,  thirty-three 
miles  distant,  by  dark.  The  enemy  were  not  encountered 
in  any  force  until  the  command  reached  Lacy's  Springs, 
March  1st,  where  about  four  hundred  men,  under  Rosser, 
made  some  show  of  resistance,  but  soon  retired.  The 
same  day  the  bridge  over  Middle  River  was  secured,  Ros- 
ser's  men  falling  back  before  the  Union  advance  to  Waynes- 
boro', where  Early  had  concentrated  his  men,  about  one 
thousand  four  hundred  in  number,  to  give  battle.  A 
portion  of  his  command  had  fallen  back  the  day  before 
from  Fishersville,  to  strengthen  the  post  there.  The  posi- 
tion was  on  commanding  ground — a  ridge  of  hills  skirting 
the  front  of  the  town — and  was  protected  by  breastworks 
made  of  earth  and  rails. 

The  advance  of  Sheridan's  force  arrived  in  front  of  the 
position  at  noon  on  the  2d  of  March,  and,  after  a  brief 
reconnoissance  by  General  Custer,  an  attack  wras  ordered, 
and  the  place  carried  by  a  flank  movement,  which  in- 
duced the  enemy  to  give  way.  The  greater  part  of  the 
force  were  captured,  including  Generals  Long  and  Lilly. 
Sheridan's  force  pushed  on,  and  reached  Charlottesville 
on  March  4th ;  thence  on  the  6th  it  again  moved  in  two- 
columns,  one  of  which,  under  General  Devin,,  took  the 
direct  southern  route  to  Scottsville,  destroying  all  mills, 
merchandise,  and  property  on  the  line  of  inarch  along  th& 
Rivanna  River  to  Columbia. 

The  other  column  proceeded  down  the  railroad  to 
Lynchburg,  destroying  it  for  the  distance  of  forty  miles 
to  Amherst.  From  Scottsville,  Devin's  Division  pro- 
ceeded westward  along  the  James  to  Dugaldsville,  twenty 
miles  from  Lynchburg.  On  the  10th  of  March,  Sheridan 
was  at  Columbia,  and,  not  being  able  to  cross  the  Jamea 
on  account  of  high  water,  he  moved,  with  a  view  of  ulti- 
mately joining  the  army  before  Petersburg,  in  anortherlj 
71 


1154  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION. 

direction  from  Columbia  to  the  Central  Railroad,  striking 
it  at  the  same  time  at  several  different  points  between 
Louisa  Court-House  and  Beaver  Dam  Station. 

A  portion  of  two  days  was  consumed  in  the  thorough 
destruction  of  the  Central  road  between  Saxton's  Junction 
and  Gordonsville.  The  next  move  was  to  points  on  the 
Fredericksburg  road,  below  the  junction.  General  Devin 
marched  his  column  to  the  bridges  on  both  roads  across 
the  South  Anna,  one  of  which  was  defended  by  a  detach- 
ment of  infantry,  posted  behind  earthworks,  with  three 
pieces  of  artillery.  The  Fifth  Cavalry,  under  Devin  and 
Cook,  charged  the  position,  supported  by  the  Second 
Massachusetts,  capturing  a  number  of  prisoners,  and  the 
three  guns.  The  only  man  killed  on  our  side  was  a  scout, 
and  there  were  only  three  wounded.  Custer,  at  the  same 
time,  moved  towards  Ashland  Station. 

By  this  time  it  was  known  in  Richmond  that  the 
northern  defences  of  that  city  were  threatened.  Long- 
street,  with  the  whole  of  Pickett's  Division  and  some 
other  troops,  moved  up  to  within  five  miles  of  Ashland. 
On  the  following  morning,  when  a  detachment  of  the 
Fifteenth  New  York  entered  Ashland  as  an  advance- 
guard,  the  advance  of  Longstreet's  column  was  encoun- 
tered, and  drove  them  back.  Subsequent!}',  Sheridan 
moved  eastward,  crossing  the  Fredericksburg  Railroad  at 
Chesterfield  Station,  and  on  the  19th  his  entire  command 
arrived  at  the  "White  House,  whence  it  crossed  the  James, 
and  joined  Meade  on  the  25th.  Sheridan's  operations 
resulted  in  the  destruction  of  the  James  River  Canal, 
which  was  the  main  dependence  for  the  support  of  Rich- 
mond, and  also  of  all  railroads  and  other  means  of  com- 
munication with  the  Southwest.  Thus  gradually  was  the 
metaphor,  so  often  employed  in  the  early  history  of  the 
war,  and  so  greatly  ridiculed,  of  the  Union  armies  press- 
ing around  the  rebel  capital,  as  the  anaconda  tightens  its 
folds  about  the  body  of  its  victim,  beginning  to  have 
force  .and  significance. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1155 


CHAPTER  LXXIY. 

General  Sherman  at  Savannah. — The  Advance  Northward. — Pocotaligo. — 
iSalkehatchie. — Movement  on  Columbia. — Conflagration  in  Columbia,  and 
its  Origin. — Beauregard  at  Charlotte. — Lee  placed  in  Chief  Command  of 
the  Rebel  Armies.  —  Johnston  Reinstated.  —  Fayetteville.  —  Rebel 
Strength. — Averysboro.' — Bentonville. — Goldsboro.' — Junction  of  Three 
Union  Armies. — Objective  of  the  Campaign  Gained. 

AT  Savannah,  General  Sherman  had  not  merely  to 
recuperate  his  forces  and  prepare  a  new  base  for  further 
operations  into  the  interior,  preparatory  to  a  concentration 
upon  Richmond,  but  he  was  also  compelled  to  provide  for 
the  local  government,  and  to  arrange  the  means  of  feed- 
ing the  people. 

Having  employed  several  weeks  in  refitting  his  army 
at  Savannah,  Sherman  was,  by  the  15th  of  January,  1865, 
ready  to  resume  operations.  On  that  day  Fort  Fisher 
was  captured  and  the  road  to  Wilmington  opened.  The 
Twenty -third  Corps,  Schoh'eld,  was  also  on  its  way  from* 
Tennessee  to  co-operate  with  Generals  Terry  and  Palmer 
in  North  Carolina,  and  prepare  the  way  for  Sherman's 
coming,  and  to  enable  Sherman  to  move  in  full  strength. 
Grant  had  sent  Grover's  Division  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps 
to  garrison  Savannah.  As  Sherman  proposed  to  march 
directly  upon  Goldsboro,  Colonel  Wright  was  sent  to 
New b era  to  be  ready  by  the  middle  of  March  to  open 
the  railroad  to  the  former  place.  On  the  18th  January 
the  command  of  Savannah  was  transferred  to  Foster, 
with  instructions  to  co-operate  on  the  coast,  in  conjunction 
with  the  fleet,  with  the  interior  movement. 

On  January  15th,  Howard,  commanding  Sherman's 
right  wing,  composed  of  the  Fifteenth  and  Seventeenth 
Corps,  and  other  troops,  numbering  forty-five  thousand  in 
all,  had  effected  a  lodgment  on  the  Charleston  Railroad, 
near  Pocotaligo,  with  the  view  of  demonstrating  against 
Charleston,  and  opening  communications  with  fiilton 
Head.  The  left  wing,  under  Slocum,  was  ordered  to 
rendezvous  at  Robertsville  and  Coosawattie,  South  Caro- 
lina, but  was  prevented  for  weeks  by  the  flooded  state  of 
the  adjoining  country  from  moving.  Finally,  on  the 
29th  January,  finding  that  the  roads  were  so  far  improved 
as  to  admit  of  the  movement  of  the  left  wing,  Sherman 


1156  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

ordered  the  Seventeenth  Corps  to  River's  Bridge,  on  the 
Salkehatchie,  and  the  Fifteenth  Corps  to  Beaufort's 
Bridge.  On  the  2d  February  the  two  corps  reached  their 
destinations.  Here  General  Sherman  admonished  Slocum, 
still  struggling  with  the  floods  of  the  Savannah  River,  to 
hurry  his  crossing  at  Sister's  Ferry  and  overtake  the  right 
wing  on  the  South  Carolina  Railroad  at  or  near  Midway. 
The  enemy  held  the  line  of  the  Salkehatchie  in  force, 
with  artillery,  at  River's  and  Beaufort's  Bridges.  The 
Seventeenth  Corps  was  ordered  to  carry  the  former, 
which  was  promptly  done  by  Mower's  and  Smith's  Divi- 
sions on  the  3d  February.  The  weather  was  bitter  cold, 
and  Generals  Mower  and  Smith  led  their  divisions  in  per- 
son, on  foot,  waded  the  swamp,  made  a  lodgment  below 
the  bridge,  and  turned  on  the  brigade  which  guarded  it, 
driving  it  in  confusion  and  disorder  towards  Branchville. 
Our  casualties  were  one  officer  and  seventeen  men  killed, 
and  seven  men  wounded,  who  were  sent  to  Pocotaligo. 
The  line  of  the  Salkehatchie  being  thus  broken,  the 
enemy  retreated  at  once  behind  the  Edisto,  at  Branch- 
ville, and  the  whole  army  was  pushed  rapidly  to  the 
South  Carolina  Railroad  at  Midway,  Hamburg  (or 
Lowry's  Station),  and  Graham's  Station.  The  Seven- 
teenth Corps,  by  threatening  Branchville,  forced  the 
enemy  to  burn  the  railroad  bridge,  and  Walker's  bridge 
below,  across  the  Edisto. 

General  Kilpatrick  had,  meanwhile,  come  up  with  his 
cavalry,  and  proceeded  to  threaten  Augusta,  skirmishing 
sharply  with  Wheeler's  Cavalry.  General  Slocum  reach- 
ed Blackville  on  the  10th.  I'he  rebels  at  this  time  oc- 
cupied Augusta,  Aiken,  Branchville,  and  Charleston. 
When,  therefore,  the  army  on  the  llth  was  on  the  rail- 
road from  Midway  to  Johnson's  Station,  the  enemy's 
forces  were  divided,  and  he  could  no  longer  hold  Charles- 
ton. The  Seventeenth  Corps  now  pusned  for  Orange- 
burg,  while  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  in  support,  proceeded  to 
Poplar  Springs.  The  left  wing  had  orders  to  move  to 
the  Edgefield  road,  and  there  await  the  result  of  the 
movement  upon  Orangeburg.  That  point  was  occupied, 
with  little  opposition,  at  four  o'clock  on  the  12th.  Branch- 
ville, the  point  of  junction  of  the  South  Carolina  and  Co- 
lumbia Railroad,  being  turned,  like  Charleston,  it  fell  of 
itself,  and  Sherman  marched  direct  upon  Columbia, 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1157 

which  was  held  by  Beauregard.  The  Seventeenth  Corps 
moved  by  the  State  road,  and  the  Fifteenth  Corps  by  a 
road  which  united  with  the  State  road  at  Zeigler's.  The 
enemy  were  encountered  at  Little  Congaree  Bridge  on 
the  loth,  but  retired  after  a  brief  encounter,  burning  the 
bridge  behind  them,  so  that  the  column  was  delayed,  and 
did  not  reach  the  Congaree  Bridge,  in  front  of  Columbia, 
until  early  on  the  16th,  too  late  to  save  the  fine  structure 
which  there  spans  the  river.  Howard  was  accordingly 
directed  to  cross  the  Saluda,  which  joins  the  Congaree  at 
Columbia,  three  miles  above,  so  as  to  approach  Columbia 
from  the  north,  while  Slocum  was  ordered  to  march 
direct  upon  Winnsboro,  twenty-five  miles  north  of  Co- 
lumbia. On  the  17th,  while  Howard  was  preparing  to 
cross,  the  mayor  of  Columbia  came  out  and  made  a  formal 
surrender  of  the  city. 

In  anticipation  of  the  occupation  of  the  city,  orders  had 
been  given  to  Howard  to  destroy  absolutely  all  arsenals 
and  public  property  not  needed  for  the  use  of  the  army, 
as  well  as  all  railroads,  depots,  and  machinery  useful  in 
war  to  the  enemy,  but  to  spare  all  dwellings  and  harm- 
less property,  whether  of  a  public  or  private  character. 
General  Wade  Hampton,  who  commanded  the  rebel  rear- 
guard, had,  in  anticipation  of  the  capture  of  the  place, 
ordered  all  the  cotton  to  be  moved  into  the  streets  and 
fired.  A  violent  gale  was  blowing  as  the  advance  of  the 
Union  army  entered  Columbia,  and,  before  a  single 
building  had  been  fired  by  Sherman's  order,  the  smould- 
ering fires,  set  by  Hampton's  order,  and  which  soldiers 
and  citizens  had  labored  hard  to  extinguish,  were  re- 
kindled by  the  wind,  and  communicated  to  the  buildings 
around.  A  whole  division  of  troops  was  called  out  to 
stay  the  progress  of  the  conflagration,  but  the  flames  had 
now  become  unmanageable,  and  until  four  A.  M.  of  the 
l§th,  they  pursued  their  devouring  course,  laying  a  large 
portion  of  the  city  in  ashes.  It  was  not  until  the  wind 
began  to  subside  that  the  fire  could  be  controlled.  Sher- 
man, with  many  of  his  generals,  was  up  all  night  labor- 
ing to  save  houses  and  protect  families  thus  suddenly 
deprived  of  shelter  and  home.  "  I  disclaim,"  he  said  in 
his  official  report,  "  on  the  part  of  my  army,  any  agency 
in  the  fire,  but,  on  the  contrary,  claim  that  we  saved 
what  of  Columbia  remains  uuconsumed.  And  without 


1158  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

hesitation  I  charge  "Wade  Hampton  with  having  burned 
his  own  city  of  Columbia,  not  with  malicious  intent,  or 
as  the  manifestation  of  a  silly  'Roman  stoicism,'  but  from 
folly  and  want  of  sense  in  tilling  it  with  lint,  cotton, 
and  tinder.  Our  officers  and  men  on  duty  worked  well 
to  extinguish  the  flames ;  but  others  not  on  duty,  includ- 
ing the  officers  who  had  long  been  imprisoned  there, 
rescued  by  us,  may  have  assisted  in  spreading  the  tire 
after  it  had  once  begun,  and  may  have  indulged  in  un- 
concealed joy  to  see  the  ruin  of  the  capital  of  South 
Carolina."  This  may  be  taken  as  a  final  and  complete 
refutation  of  the  many  mendacious  reports,  originating 
chiefly  in  the  South,  that  the  city  of  Columbia  was 
wantonly  fired  by  Sherman's  troops. 

General  Slocum  reached  Winnsboro  on  the  21st,  de- 
stroyed the  railroad,  and  reached  Rocky  Mount  on  the 
23d,  on  which  day  he  was  joined  by  the  Twentieth 
Corps.  Kilpatrick  followed  and  demonstrated  on  Char- 
lotte, to  which  point  Beauregard  had  retreated  from 
Columbia,  and  where  he  was  expecting  to  be  joined  by 
Cheatham's  Corps  of  Hood's  old  army.  The  rains  con- 
tinued very  heavy  until  the  26th,  when  the  Twentieth 
Corps  was  at  Catawba  waiting  for  the  Fourteenth  Corps 
to  cross  the  Catawba.  In  the  mean  time  the  right  wing 
had  destroyed  the  railroad  to  Winnsboro,  and  thence 
moved  upon  Cheraw,  whence  a  force  was  sent  to  burn 
the  bridge  over  the  Wateree,  at  Camden,  and  another  to 
Florence,  with  a  view  of  breaking  up  the  railroad  between 
that  place  and  Charleston.  The  latter  was  beaten  back 
by  the  enemy's  horse.  On  the  3d  of  March  the  Sev- 
teenth  Corps  entered  Cheraw,  the  enemy  retreating 
across  the  Pedee. 

While  these  events  were  occurring,  the  proceedings  of 
the  rebel  Congress  had  begun  to  give  signs  of  the  speedy 
dissolution  of  the  "Confederacy."  The  want  of  men 
was  urgent,  and  the  question  of  arming  slaves  was 
warmly  discussed.  Much  dissatisfaction  with  the  Govern- 
ment and  the  leading  generals  had  sprung  up,  and  the 
finances  were  in  a  deplorable  condition.  Continued 
disaster  had  at  last  brought  the  Executive  into  a  degree 
of  despair  from  which  nothing  seemed  likely  to  rescue  it. 
In  accordance  with  a  resolution  of  the  rebel  Congress, 
and  as  a  last  means  of  making  head  against  the  rapidly 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  1159 

advancing  armies  of  the  Union,  Jefferson  Davis  had  ap- 
pointed General  Lee  to  the  chief  command  of  the  entire 
military  force.  Lee's  order  announcing  that  he  assumed 
this  post  is  dated  February  9th.  General  Joseph  E. 
Johnston,  between  whom  and  Jefferson  Davis  a  deep 
animosity  had  long  existed,  had  been  virtually  retired 
from  the  army  after  the  fall  of  Atlanta.  Public  opinion 
so  strongly  demanded  his  restoration  that  Davis  was 
forced  to  yield,  and  he  was  reinstated,  and  placed  in  im- 
mediate command  of  the  forces  opposed  to  Sherman,  in 
the  place  of  Beauregard,who  wrote  to  the  rebel  President 
that  the  general  sentiment  of  the  public,  and  particularly 
that  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  was  so  urgent  for 
Johnston's  restoration  to  command  that  he  was  induced 
to  join  his  wish  to  theirs;  but  he  did  not  wish  to  be  re- 
moved from  his  present  field  of  operations,  but  preferred 
to  serve  under  his  old  comrade.  Johnston's  order  assum- 
ing the  command  of  the  "  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and 
all  the  troops  in  the  Departments  of  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  and  Florida,"  is  dated  at  Charlotte,  North 
Carolina,  February  25th,  when  it  was  too  late  for  him,  or 
perhaps  any  general  living,  with  the  means  then  at  his 
disposal,  to  oppose  the  progress  of  Sherman. 

The  movement  of  Sherman  was  continued  without 
delay  upon  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  on  the  Cape 
Fear  River,  which  point  was  reached  March  llth  by  the 
Fourteenth  and  Seventeenth  Corps,  after  skirmishing  with 
Wade  Hampton's  Cavalry,  that  covered  the  rear  of 
Hardee's  retreating  army,  which  had  crossed  Cape  Fear 
River,  burning  the  bridge.  During  the  march  from  the 
Pedee,  Kilpatrick  had  kept  his  cavalry  well  on  the  left 
and  exposed  flank.  During  the  night  of  the  9th  of 
March,  his  three  brigades  were  divided  to  picket  the 
roads.  Hampton,  detecting  this,  dashed  in  at  daylight, 
and  gained  possession  of  the  camp  of  Colonel  Spencer's 
Brigade,  and  the  house  in  which  Kilpatrick  and  Spencer 
had  their  quarters.  The  surprise  was  complete,  but  Kil- 
patrick quickly  succeeded  in  rallying  his  men,  on  foot,  in 
a  swamp  near  by,  and,  by  a  prompt  attack,  well  followed 
up,  regained  his  artillery,  horses,  camp,  and  every  thing 
save  some  prisoners  whom  the  enemy  carried  off,  leaving 
their  dead  on  the  ground.  Several  days  were  spent 
in  Fayetteville  destroying  property.  The  army  tug 


1160  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 

Davidson  here  came  up  the  river  from  Wilmington,  and 
carried  back  dispatches  from  Sherman  to  Terry  and 
Schofield.  The  gunboat  yEolus  also  arrived  at  Fayette- 
ville. 

At  this  time  Johnston,  the  old  antagonist  of  Sherman, 
had  begun  to  get  his  forces  well  in  hand,  and  to  concen- 
trate them  at  Kaleigh,  on  Sherman's  flank.  Beauregard, 
falling  back  from  Columbia,  had  been  re-enforced  by 
Cheatham's  Corps  from  the  West,  and  the  garrison  of 
Augusta,  and  ample  time  had  been  given  to;move  these 
troops  to  Raleigh.  Hardee  had  also  succeeded  in  getting 
across  Cape  Fear  River,  and  could  therefore  complete  the 
junction  with  the  other  rebel  troops  in  North  Carolina. 
The  whole,  under  the  command  of  the  skilful  and  ex- 
perienced Johnston,  made  up  an  army  superior  to  Sher- 
man's in  cavalry,  and  formidable  enough  in  artillery  and 
infantry  to  justify  him  in  extreme  caution  in  making  the 
last  step  necessary  to  complete  the  march  he  had  under- 
taken. He  could  no  longer  move  at  will  with  an  over- 
whelming force,  regardless  of  the  enemy.  . 

Kilpatrick  was  ordered  to  move  up  the  plankroad  to 
and  beyond  Averysboro',  to  be  followed  by  four  divisions 
of  the  left  wing.  In  like  manner,  Howard  was  ordered 
to  hold  four  divisions  ready  to  go  to  the  aid  of  the  left 
wing  if  attacked  while  in  motion.  The  columns  moved 
out  from  Cape  Fear  River  on  Wednesday,  the  15th 
of  March.  Slocum,  preceded  by^  Kilpatrick's  Cavalry, 
moved  to  Kyle's  Landing,  Kilpatrick  skirmishing  heavily 
with  the  enemy's  rear-guard  about  three  miles  beyond, 
near  Taylor's  Hole  Creek.  At  Kilpatrick's  request, 
Slocurn  sent  forward  a  brigade  of  infantry  to  hold  a 
line  of  barricades.  Next  morning  the  column  advanced 
in  the  same  order,  and  developed  the  enemy,  with  artil- 
lery, infantry,  and  cavalry,  in  an  intrenched  position,  in 
front  of  the  point  where  the  road  branches  off  towards 
Groldsboro',  through  Bentonville. 

Hardee,  with  twelve  thousand  men,  in  retreating  from 
Fayetteville,  halted  in  the  narrow  swampy  neck  between 
Cape  Fear  and  South  Rivers,  in  hopes,  by  checking  Sher- 
man, to  save  time  for  the  concentration  of  Johnston's 
armies  at  some  point  to  his  rear,  namely,  Raleigh,  Smith- 
field,  or  Goldsboro'.  It  was  necessary  to  dislodge  him,  that 
we  might  have  the  use  of  the  Goldsboro'  road.  Slocuia 


HISTOKY   OP  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  1161 

was  therefore  ordered  to  press  and  carry  the  position, 
only  difficult  by  reason  of  the  nature  of  the  ground, 
which  was  so  soft  that  horses  would  sink  everywhere,  and 
even  men  could  hardly  make  their  way  over  the  common 
pine  barren. 

The  Twentieth  Corps,  Williams,  had  the  lead,  and 
"Ward's  Division  the  advance.  This  was  deployed,  and 
the  skirmish  line  developed  the  position  of  a  brigade  of 
Charleston  heavy  artillery,  armed  as  infantry  (Khett's), 
posted  across  the  road  behind  a  light  parapet,  with  a 
battery  of  guns  enfilading  the  approach  across  a  cleared 
field.  Williams  sent  a  brigade  (Case's)  by  a  circuit  to  his 
left,  that  turned  this  line,  and  by  a  quick  charge  broke 
the  brigade,  which  rapidly  retreated  back  to  a  second  line, 
better  built  and  more  strongly  held.  A  battery  of  artil- 
lery (Winnigers),  well  posted,  under  the  immediate  direc- 
tion of  Major  Reynolds,  Chief  of  Artillery  of  the  Twen- 
tieth Corps,  did  good  execution  on  the  retreating  brigade, 
and,  on  advancing  Ward's  Division  over  this  ground, 
Williams  captured  three  guns  and  two  hundred  and 
seventeen  prisoners.  As  Ward's  Division  advanced,  he 
developed  a  second  and  stronger  line,  when  Jackson's 
Division  was  deployed  forward  on  the  right  of  Ward,  and 
the  two  divisions  of  Jeff.  C.  Davis's  (Fourteenth)  Corps 
on  the  left,  well  towards  the  Cape  Fear.  At  the  same 
time,  Kilpatrick,  who  was  acting  in  concert  with  Wil- 
liams, was  ordered  to  draw  back  his  cavalry  and  mass  it 
on  the  extreme  right,  and,  in  concert  with  Jackson's  right, 
to  feel  forward  for  the  Goldsboro'  road.  He  got  a  brigade 
on  the  road,  but  it  was  attacked  by  McLaws's  rebel  division 
furiously,  and  was  driven  back  to  the  flank  of  the  infantry. 
The  whole  line  advanced  late  in  the  afternoon,  drove  the 
enemy  well  within  his  intrenched  line,  and  pressed  him 
so  hard  that  he  retreated  during  the  night  to  Smithfield. 
Slocum  reported  his  aggregate  loss  in  this  affair,  known 
as  that  of  Averysboro',  at  twelve  officers  and  sixty-five 
men  killed,  and  four  hundred  and  seventy-seven  wounded. 
Leaving  Ward's  Division  to  keep  up  a  show  of  pursuit, 
Slocum's  column  was  turned  to  the  right,  built  a  bridge 
across  the  swollen  South  Eiver,  and  took  the  Goldsboro' 
road. 

In  the  mean  time,  Howard's  column  was  moving  to- 
wards Goldsboro',  via  Bentonville,  and  on  the  night  of 


1162  HISTOKT  OF  THE  GREAT 

the  18th  was  at  Lee's  Store,  ten  miles  south  of  Slocum, 
who  was  on  the  road,  five  miles  from  Bentonville,  and 
twenty-seven  miles  from  Goldsboro',  at  a  point  crossed  by 
the  road  from  Clinton  to  Smithfield.  General  Sherman, 
anticipating  no  further  opposition  from  the  enemy, 
directed  Howard  to  move  his  right  wing;  by  the  new 
Goldsboro'  road,  which  goes  by  way  of  Falling  Creek 
Church.  General  Slocum's  head  of  column  had  advanced 
from  its  camp  of  March  18th,  and  first  encountered  Dib- 
brell's  Cavalry,  but  soon  found  his  progress  impeded  by 
infantry  and  artillery.  Johnston  had  moved  by  night 
from  Smithfield,  with  great  rapidity,  and  without  un- 
necessary wheels,  intending  to  overwhelm  the  left  flank 
before  it  could  be  relieved  by  its  co-operating  columns. 

The  enemy  attacked  the  head  of  the  Union  column, 
gaining  a  temporary  advantage,  and  took  three  guns  and 
caissons  of  Carlin's  Division,  driving  the  two  leading 
brigades  back  on  the  main  body.  Slocum  promptly  de- 
ployed the  two  divisions  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps,  and 
rapidly  brought  up  on  their  left  the  two  divisions  of  the 
Twentieth  Corps.  These  he  arranged  on  the  defensive, 
and  hastily  prepared  a  line  of  barricades.  Kilpatrick  also 
came  up  at  the  sound  of  artillery,  .and  massed  on  the  left. 
In  this  position  the  left  wing  received  six  distinct  assaults 
by  the  combined  forces  of  Hoke,  Hardee,  and  Cheatham, 
under  the  immediate  command  of  General  Johnston  him- 
self, without  giving  an  inch  of  ground,  and  doing  good 
execution  on  the  enemy's  ranks,  especially  with  artillery, 
the  enemy  having  little  or  none. 

General  Sherman,  immediately  on  receipt  of  a  dispatch 
from  Slocum,  sent  him  orders  to  call  up  the  two  divisions 
guarding  his  wagon  trains,  and  Hazen's  Division  of  the 
Fifteenth  Corps,  still  back  near  Lee's  Store,  to  fight 
defensively  until  he  could  draw  up  Blair's  Corps,  then 
near  Mount  Olive  Station,  and  with  the  three  remaining 
divisions  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps  come  upon  Johnston's 
left  rear  from  the  direction  of  Cox's  Bridge.  At  the  same 
time  he  received  couriers  from  both  Schofield  and  Terry. 
The  former  reported  himself  in  possession  of  Kinston,  de- 
layed somewhat  by  want  of  provisions,  but  able  to  march 
so  as  to  make  Goldsboro'  on  the  21st,  and  Terry  was  at  or 
near  Faison's  Depot.  Orders  were  at  once  dispatched  to 
Schofield  to  push  for  Goldsboro,'  and  to  make  dispositions 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  KEBELLIOtf.  1163 

to  cross  Little  Kiver,  in  the  direction  of  Smithfield,  as  far 
as  Millard  ;  to  Terry  to  move  to  Cox's  Bridge,  lay  a  pon- 
toon bridge,  and  establish  a  crossing ;  and  to  Blair  to 
make  a  night-march  to  Falling  Creek  Church ;  and  at 
daylight,  the  right  wing,  Howard,  less  the  necessary 
wagon  guards,  was  put  in  rapid  motion  on  Bentonville. 

At  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  20th,  Hazen's 
Division  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  Geary's  of  the  Twentieth 
Corps,  and  Baird's  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps,  reported  on 
the  field,  having  marched  all  night,  from  the  new  Golds- 
boro'  road,  where  the  trains  were  moving.  Howard, 
with  Logan's  and  Blair's  Corps,  came  up  on  the  right,  by 
way  of  Cox's  Bridge,  and  on  moving  forward  the  Fifteenth 
Corps,  General  Logan,  found  that  the  enemy  had  thrown 
back  his  left  flank,  and  had  constructed  a  line  of  parapet 
connecting  with  that  towards  Slocum,  in  the  form  of  a 
bastion,  its  salient  on  the  main  Goldsboro'  road,  interpos- 
ing between  Slocum  on  the  west  and  Howard  on  the  east, 
while  the  flanks  rested  on  Mill  Creek,  covering  the  road 
back  to  Smithfield.  Howard  was  instructed  to  proceed 
with  due  caution  until  he  had  made  strong  connection  on 
his  left  with  Slocum.  This  he  soon  accomplished,  and, 
by  four  p.  M.  of  the  20th,  a  complete  and  strong  line 
of  battle  confronted  the  enemy  in  his  intrenched  position. 
Sherman  ordered  all  empty  wagons  to  be  sent  at  once  to 
Kinston  for  supplies,  and  all  other  impediments  to  be 
grouped  near  the  ^N"euse,  south  of  Goldsboro',  holding  the 
army  in  close  contact  with  the  enemy,  ready  to  fight 
him  if  he  ventured  outside  his  parapets  and  swampy 
obstructions. 

Thus  matters  stood  about  Bentonville  on  the  21st  of 
March.  On  the  same  day,  General  Schofield  entered 
Goldsboro'  with  little  or  no  opposition,  and  Terry  had  got 
possession  of  the  Neuse  River  at  Cox's  Bridge,  ten  miles 
above,  with  a  pontoon  bridge  laid  and  a  brigade  across, 
so  that  the  three  armies  were  in  actual  connection,  and 
the  great  object  of  the  campaign  was  accomplished. 

On  the  21st,  a  steady  rain  prevailed,  during  which 
Mower's  Division  of  the  Seventeenth  Corps,  on  the 
extreme  right,  had  worked  well  to  the  right  around  the 
enemy's  flank,  and  had  nearly  reached  the  bridge  across 
Mill  Creek,  the  only  line  of  retreat  open  to  the  enemy. 
Of  course,  there  was  extreme  danger  that  the  enemy 


1164:  HI8TOEY   OF  THE-GEEAT   EEBELLION. 

would  turn  on  him  all  his  reserves,  and,  it  might  be,  let  go 
his  parapets  to  overwhelm  Mower.  Accordingly.  Sherman 
ordered  at  once  a  general  attack  hy  the  skirmish  line  from 
left  to  right.  Quite  a  noisy  battle  ensued,  during  which 
Mower  was  enabled  to  regain  his  connection  with  his  own 
corps,  by  moving  to  his  left  rear.  That  night  the  enemy 
retreated  on  Smithfield. 

The  losses  of  the  left  wing  about  Bentonville  were  nine 
officers  and  one  hundred  and  forty-five  men  killed,  fifty- 
one  officers  and  eight  hundred  and  sixteen  men  wounded, 
and  three  officers  and  two  hundred  and  twenty-three  men 
missing,  taken  prisoners  by  the  enemy ;  total,  one  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  forty-seven.  Slocum  buried  on  the 
field  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  rebel  dead,  and  took 
three  hundred  and  thirty-eight  prisoners! 

General  Howard  reported  the  losses  of  the  right  wing 
at  two  officers  and  thirty-five  men  killed,  twelve  officers 
and  two  hundred  and  eighty-nine  men  wounded,  and  one 
officer  and  sixty  men  missing ;  total,  three  hundred  and 
ninety-nine.  He  also  buried  one  hundred  dead  of  the 
enemy,  and  took  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
seven  prisoners.  The  cavalry  of  Kilpatrick  was  held  in 
reserve,  and  lost  but  few,  if  any.  Our  aggregate  loss 
at  Bentonville  was  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty-six. 

Thus  the  21st  of  March  found  Sherman  in  virtual  pos- 
session of  Goldsboro',  the  real  objective  of  the  campaign, 
together  with  its  two  railroads  to  Wilmington  and  Beau- 
fort, which  large  working  parties  were  then  putting  in 
complete  repair.  In  spite  of  a  desperate  enemy  in  his 
front,  and  of  roads  rendered  nearly  impassable  by  an 
almost  unprecedentedly  wet  season,  the  army  had,  with 
inconsiderable  loss,  moved,  in  two  months'  time,  through 
the  heart  of  the  Confederacy,  thoroughly  destroying 
the  railroads  between  Goldsboro'  and  Savannah,  and 
were  now  prepared  to  enjoy,  in  the  camps  assigned  to 
them  around  Goldsboro',  a  period  of  much-needed  rest, 
and  an  opportunity  to  replenish  their  wornout  clothing 
and  equipments. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GEEAT  KEBELLION.  1165 


CHAPTEE   LXXY. 

Grant's  Preparations  for  a  Final  Movement. — Eebel  Attack  on  Fort  Stead- 
man. — Disastrous  Repulse. — Object  of  Lee. — Movement  on  the  Left 
Commenced. — Affair  of  Quaker  Road. — Heavy  Fighting  on  Boydton 
Road. — Decisive  Battle  of  Five  Forks. — Rebel  Left  turned. — Assault  on 
Petersburg. — Evacuation  of  Petersburg  and  Richmond. — Pursuit  of 
Lee. — His  Surrender  to  Grant. — End  of  Campaign. 

As  March  approached  its  close,  preparations  began  to 
be  made  by  Grant,  for  that  grand  movement  on  the 
enemy's  right,  his  chief  vulnerable  point,  which  was  to 
give  us  possession  of  Petersburg  and  Richmond,  capture 
or  destroy  the  army  of  Lee,  and  end  the  war  by  a  single 
blow.  The  sorely  tried  Army  of  the  Potomac,  so  often 
defeated  and  disappointed,  but  never  dishonored,  was 
about  at  last  to  reap  the  fruit  of  all  its  exertions,  and 
to  redeem  the  promise  of  its  early  prime.  Anticipating 
that  the  decisive  moment  was  at  hand,  and  dreading  the 
battle  which  Grant  with  superior  forces  was  about  to 
offer  him,  Lee  had  already  commenced  preparations 
to  evacuate  Petersburg  and  Richmond,  and  move  south- 
ward to  effect  a  junction  with  Johnston.  To  cover  this 
movement  he  organized  a  night  attack  upon  the  Union 
lines  in  front  of  Petersburg — a  desperate  expedient,  cer- 
tainly, considering  their  strength,  but  the  only  one  which 
under  the  circumstances  was  practicable.  Grant  had 
anticipated  the  evacuation,  and  had  taken  means  to 
prevent  the  escape  of  the  rebel  army.  Meanwhile  the 
busy  note  of  preparation  was  heard  along  the  Union 
lines,  and  frequent  reviews  of  corps  and  sub-divisions, 
which  were  witnessed  by  President  Lincoln  and  a  distin- 
guished party  of  visitors,  gave  the  camps  a  festive 
appearance. 

At  daylight  on  the  25th  of  March,  Gordon's  rebel 
Corps,  consisting  of  three  divisions,  was  massed  for  a 
charge  against  our  lines,  in  front  of  Fort  Steadman, 
a  square  fort,  covering  about  an  acre  of  ground,  and  car- 
rying nine  guns,  and  supported  by  mortar  batteries,  on 
the  right  and  left.  It  was  the  second  regular  fort  in  our 
line  running  from  the  river,  the  first  being  Fort  McGil- 
vrey.  Just  beyond  Fort  Steadman,  and  about  three- 
eighths  of  a  mile  distant,  was  Fort  Haskell ;  and  between 


116(K  HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

the  two  were  mortar  batteries  11  and  12.  Simultaneously 
•with  this  disposition  of  Gordon's  Corps,  the  rest  of  Lee's 
army  was  arranged  to  co-operate  in  an  attack  farther 
down  towards  our  left.  Our  lines  at  this  time  extended 
over  the  enormous  distance  of  thirty  miles,  from  right  to 
left.  The  extreme  right  was  terminated  by  Fort  Harri- 
son, north  of  the  James,  on  Chapin's  Farm,  and  by  the 
outposts  of  Kautz's  Cavalry.  Thence  it  crossed  the  James, 
and,  passing  in  front  of  Bermuda  Hundred,  crossed  the 
Appomattox,  and  so  extended  around  Petersburg  as  far 
southwest  as  the  hither  bank  of  Hatcher's  Run,  on  which 
the  left  rested.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  occupied  the 
whole  of  the  ground  south  of  the  Appomattox,  and  that 
of  the  James,  under  Ord,  the  remainder  of  the  lines. 
Besides  covering  his  retreat  by  a  sudden  and  strong 
attack,  Lee  had  an  additional  object  to  gain,  which  was 
to  break  through  our  lines  at  Hare's  Hill,  on  which  Fort 
Steadman  was  situated,  by  a  bold  dash,  to  turn  the  guns 
he  should  capture  upon  us,  to  wheel  his  troops  to  the  right 
and  march  down  the  line,  taking  Forts  Haskell,  Morton, 
Meikle,  and  the  rest  in  reverse,  stripping  oft'  the  guns  and 
garrisons  from  the  forts  and  batteries,  and  threatening  the 
whole  line.  While  one  column  should  accomplish  this 
work,  another  in  its  rear,  crossing  through  the  gap,  would 
get  upon  our  military  railroad  and  destroy  it,  and  perhaps 
march  to  City  Point  and  burn  our  depots  and  supplies  at 
that  point.  The  seizure  of  our  base  would  have  effectu- 
ally cut  off  the  army  of  Ord  from  the  army  of  Meade ; 
and,  in  short,  if  successful,  the  move  might  have  entirely 
broken  up  the  famous  campaign  against  Richmond,  and 
have  thrown  a  new  aspect  over  the  war. 
•  At  daybreak,  Gordon's  troops  rushed  to  the  attack. 
The  space  between  the  opposing  lines  was  but  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  wide,  and  once  having  cleared  his 
own  abatis,  he  charged  across  the  interval  and  up  the 
acclivity  to  Fort  Steadman,  worked  his  way  through  our 
abatis,  and  carried  the  fort  almost  instantly.  Our  line 
here  was  guarded  by  McLaughlin's  Brigade  of  Willcox's 
(First)  Division  of  the  Ninth  Corps.  In  the  fort  were  the 
Fourteenth  New  York  heavy  artillery,  and  so  skilfully 
and  boldly  was  this  assault  executed,  that  the  garrison, 
numbering  about  five  hundred  men,  was  captured  with 
scarcely  a  show  of  resistance.  The  enemy  at  once  turned 


HISTORY  OF   THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1167 

the  captured  guns  against  the  rest  of  the  line,  and  speedi- 
ly occupied  mortar  batteries  9,  10,  and  11,  adjoining  Fort 
Steadman.  His  onward  rush,  however,  was  now  checked 
by  Fort  Ilaskell,  and  the  rest  of  Willcox's  Division  having 
been  rallied,  a  stubborn  resistance  began  to  be  offered  to 
him.  At  this  juncture  Hartranft's  Third  Division  of  the 
Ninth  Corps  came  up  to  the  support  of  Willcox,  and  our 
batteries  from  all  quarters  were  massed  upon  Fort  Stead- 
man. A  tremendous  cannonade  burst  from  our  artillery, 
to  which  the  enemy  replied  briskly  from  the  guns  he  had 
captured.  Under  the  terrific  fire,  Hartranft's  Division 
pressed  up  towards  the  captured  fort  to  retake  it.  The 
enemy  at  first  resisted  obstinately,  and  checked  Hartranft's 

Progress,  inflicting  on  the  latter  a  loss  of  nearly  two  hun- 
red  men  killed  and  wounded.  But  soon  the  concentra- 
ted fire  of  our  artillery,  and  the  determined  advance 
of  Hartranft  on  all  sides,  were  too  much  for  him.  He  fell 
back  into  the  fort,  and  then  beyond  the  fort,  down  the 
hill,  leaving  all  the  guns  he  had  captured,  and  endeavored 
to  regain  his  own  lines.  But  our  own  guns  opened  upon 
him  with  such  severity  as  to  prevent  a  large  part  of  the 
retreating  force  from  escaping  from  the  fort,  and  seven- 
teen hundred  and  fifty-eight  prisoners  fell  into  our  hands. 
The  enemy's  total  loss  at  this  point  could  not  have  been 
less  than  two  thousand  five  hundred.  Our  own  loss  was 
a  little  over  nine  hundred.  The  enemy  did  not  fight  with 
his  accustomed  fierceness.  Many  of  the  rebel  soldiers 
were  only  too  glad  to  be  captured,  and  many,  breaking 
through  all  rules  of  discipline,  began  to  plunder  the  offi- 
cers' quarters  in  the  captured  fort,  thus  preventing  such  a 
following  up  of  their  first  success  as  was  essential  to  a 
final  victory. 

By  ten  A.  M.  the  fighting  in  front  of  Fort  Steadman 
was  over,  but  the  Second  and  Sixth  Corps  were  now 
under  arms,  in  anticipation  of  an  attack  upon  our  left; 
and  with  a  view  of  reaping  some  advantages  from  the 
enemy's  signal  repulse  by  Hartranft,  they  were  at  eleven 
o'clock  pushed  out  against  the  rebel  intrenched  picket 
lines,  which  extended  some  distance  beyond  their  main 
line  of  works.  The  movement  was  entirely  successful, 
and  although  the  enemy  made  desperate  efforts  in  the 
afternoon  to  drive  our  troops  from  the  captured  intrench- 
ments,  night  closed  upon  our  lines  still  advanced. 


1168  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 

The  total  loss  of  the  enemy  in  the  several  encounters 
of  the  25th  must  have  reached  five  thousand ;  that  of  the 
Union  army  was  officially  stated  at  two  thousand  three 
hundred  and  ninety. 

The  design  of  Lee  to  evacuate  Petersburg  and  Rich- 
mond was  now  so  apparent,  that  Sheridan  was  hurried 
forward  to  the  left  of  our  lines,  where  he  arrived  on  the 
26th.  It  was  Grant's  object  to  strike  the  enemy  before 
he  should  succeed  in  getting  away  from  his  capital.  On 
the  morning  of  the  29th,  the  army  was  at  last  in  motion, 
the  movement  which  it  was  about  to  undertake  being  a 
simple  repetition  of  what  it  had  many  times  before  fruit- 
lessly attempted,  viz.,  to  turn  the  enemy's  right  by  over- 
lapping it,  and  to  seize  the  Southside  Railroad.  The 
Second  and  Fifth  Corps  with  the  cavalry  under  Sheridan 
were  selected  for  the  flanking  movement,  the  Sixth  and 
Ninth  Corps  remaining  in  their  works  until  the  time 
should  come  for  them  to  co-operate ;  and  in  order  to  pre- 
serve the  lines  in  front  of  Petersburg  intact,  the  works 
evacuated  by  the  Second  and  Fifth  Corps  were  immedi- 
ately filled  by  detachments  from  the  Twenty-fourth  and 
Twenty-fifth  Corps,  comprising  the  Army  of  the  James, 
under  General  Ord,  drawn  from  the  extreme  right  of  our 
lines. 

At  six  A.  M.  of  the  29th,  Sheridan,  with  his  command 
divided  into  two  wings, 'the  right  under  Crook  and  the 
left  under  Merritt,  proceeded  by  the  Jerusalem  plankroad 
to  Reams's  Station,  on  the  Weldon  road,  and  thence  to 
Dinwiddie,  which  was  reached  on  the  same  day.  Mean- 
while, the  advance  by  the  Second  and  Fifth  Corps  was 
progressing  favorably.  The  Sixth  Corps  had  its  left  on 
Hatcher's  Run.  The  Second  Corps,  extending  down  the 
run  from  the  left  of  the  Sixth,  formed  a  line  nearly  at 
right  angles  with  it  to  the  crossing  of  the  Yaughan  road. 
The  Fifth  Corps  was  in  reserve,  extending  in  rear  of  the 
Sixth,  at  a  right  angle  from  the  left  of  the  Second.  At 
three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  29th,  the  Fifth  and 
Second  advanced  towards  Dinwiddie.  The  Fifth  Corps 
crossed  Hatcher's  Run  without  opposition,  and  moved 
along  the  old  stage-road  towards  Dinwiddie  until  the 
Quaker  road  was  reached,  when  it  turned  to  the  right. 
At  about  nine  o'clock,  a  connection  was  formed  between 
the  left  of  Hiles's  Division  of  the  Second  Corps  and  the 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1169 

right  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  the  line  of  the  latter  extending 
across  the  Quaker  road  and  within  two  or  three  miles  of 
Dinwiddie  Court-House.  At  Gravelly  Kun,  the  Fifth, 
Corps  encountered  opposition  for  the  first  time.  Yery 
soon  our  troops  were  drawn  up  in  position  awaiting  at- 
tack. The  preparations  were  soon  completed,  and,  at  about 
half-past  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Bushrod  Johnson's 
Division  of  Anderson's  Corps  came  down  and  attacked 
our  skirmishers,  Sickles's  Brigade  of  Griffin's  Division. 

The  Fifth  Corps  was  now  on  the  Quaker  road.  The 
enemy  soon  drove  in  our  skirmishers  and  burst  with  great 
fury  upon  Griffin's  Division,  threatening  to  overwhelm 
it,  but  Crawford  and  Ayres  coming  into  position,  he  with- 
drew, after  a  sharp  skirmish,  with  a  loss  of  about  five 
hundred.  That  of  the  Fifth  Corps  was  not  less.  On  the 
morning  of  March  30th,  the  Fifth  occupied  a  position 
near  the  junction  of  the  Quaker  and  Boydton  roads.  The 
Second  Corps,  on  the  right  of  the  Fifth,  had  rested  its 
right  on  Hatcher's  Run.  A  portion  of  the  Twenty-fourth 
Corps  was  on  its  right,  with  the  two  divisions  of  the 
Twenty-fifth  on  the  right  of  the  latter.  The  Sixth  and 
Ninth  Corps  were  to  the  right  of  the  Twenty-fifth.  Early 
in  the  morning,  Sheridan  connected  his  right  with  War- 
ren's left,  near  the  Boydton  plankroad.  The  enemy  was 
found  to  have  a  very  strong  line  of  intrenchments  already 
erected  to  cover  the  position  known  as  Five  Forks.  His 
right  was  commanded  by  Anderson,  and  Pickett's  Division 
of  Anderson's  Corps  held  the  extreme  right.  His  intrench- 
ments completely  covered  the  White  Oak:  road,  which  runs 
from  the  Boydton  road  to  the  Southside  Railroad.  From 
the  White  Oak  road  up  towards  Hatcher's  Run  the  en- 
emy's troops  were  in  strong  force.  He  baffled  all  our  at- 
tempts on  Thursday,  the  30th,  to  turn  him  by  cavalry,  as 
his  works,  manned  by  infantry,  checked  us  at  all  points. 

During  the  day  the  Fifth  Corps  pushed  on  nearly  due 
west  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile,  and  lay  fronting  north- 
ward, with  the  pickets  of  Ayres's  Division  within  five 
hundred  yards  of  the  White  Oak  road,  at  a  point  between 
two  and  three  miles  west  of  its  intersection  with  the* 
Boydton  road.  On  the  rigjht  of  the  Fifth  Corps  lay  the' 
Second,  which  now  had  its  right  near  Hatcher's  Run,, 
while  its  left  rested  on  the  Boydton  plankroad,  near 
Burgess's  Tavern,  about  one  mile  south  of  the  bridge 

72 


1170  HISTORY   OF  THE  GBEAT  REBELLION. 

across  Hatcher's  Eun.  Sheridan  continued  to  cover  our 
left  flank,  and  remained  at  Dinwiddie. 

On  Friday,  the  31st,  began  a  movement  having  for  its 
object  the  possession  of  the  strategic  position  known  as 
Five  Forks.  The  success  of  the  movement  would  involve 
the  turning  of  the  enemy's  flank.  At  this  point  five 
roads  meet  in  the  woods,  and  as  three  of  them  lead  back 
to  the  Southside  Railroad,  the  carrying  of  the  junction 
would  give  us  a  choice  of  advance  towards  the  railroad. 
The  White  Oak  road  at  this  point  was  thoroughly  fortified 
with  logs  and  earth,  its  approaches  blocked  by  felled  trees, 
and  sharpshooters  stationed  to  contest  any  advance.  Early 
on  Friday  morning,  the  Fifth  Corps  began,  by  a  left  flank 
movement,  to  advance  upon  the  "White  Oak  road,  Ayres 
having  the  advance.  The  enemy  fell  back  skirmishing, 
upon  his  main  works,  a  mile  and  a  half  below  White  Oak 
road,  whence  he  delivered  a  fire  which  compelled  Ayres's 
Division  to  break  and  fall  to  the  rear.  The  enemy  imme- 
diately rallied  from  his  works  and  charged  Ayres's  Division 
with  all  his  old  elan.  Our  troops  resisted  stubbornly,  and 
suffered  severe  losses  before  they  would  yield.  But  no- 
thing could  resist  the  impetuous  onset  of  the  enemy's 
columns,  which,  handled  with  great  skill,  swept  the  field. 
Crawford,  next  attacked,  followed  the  fate  of  Ayres,  and 
Griffin  followed  the  fate  of  Crawford.  The  whole  Fifth 
Corps  was  driven  back  to  the  Boydton  road,  and  anxiety 
was  at  once  thrown  over  the  grand  movement. 

Meanwhile,  the  enemy,  having  driven  back  our  infantry 
advance  so  far,  turned  his  forces  towards  the  task  of 
cutting  off  the  cavalry.  The  failure  of  the  Fifth  Corps 
to  advance  greatly  exposed  the  cavalry,  and  checked  the 
intended  movement  on  Five  Forks.  About  noon  the  ene- 
my attacked  the  cavalry,  and  by  five  o'clock  had  driven 
them  also  back  several  miles  to  the  Boydton  road. 

But  now  he  had  encountered  our  entire  force.  Merritt's 
troops  were  re-formed,  and  Custer's  Division,  with  Cape- 
hart  on  the  left  and  Pennington  on  the  right,  held  a  firm 
position.  The  enemy,  who  had  been  re-enforced  with  a 
part  of  Pickett's  and  Johnson's  Divisions — the  troops 
employed  against  the  Fifth  Corps — came  down  with  a 
furious  charge,  cheering  and  gallantly  advancing.  Yerv 
hard  fighting  took  place  here.  But  our  artillery  in  posi- 
tion and  our  very  large  force  of  cavalry  now  rallied,  and 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION.  1171 

eventually  forced  him  to  desist.  A  few  desperate  charges 
left  our  men  immovable,  and  the  enemy,  well  content 
with  his  day's  work,  drew  oif  to  the  woods.  Our  forces 
immediately  intrenched. 

Meantime  the  Fifth  Corps,  having  re-formed  again, 
advanced  as  the  enemy  retired.  Following  up  the  advance, 
they  carried  an  earthwork,  and  took  position  on  the 
White  Oak  road,  east  of  Five  Forks.  Simultaneous  with 
this  movement,  the  Second  Corps  swung  forward  in 
support,  followed  by  the  Twenty-fourth  Corps,  the  troops 
making  a  general  advance  of  about  three-fourths  of  a 
mile.  The  results  of  the  day  were,  upon  the  whole,  a 
success  to  the  enemy.  He  had  driven  us  back  from  our 
advanced  positions  and  had  foiled  our  plans.  Thanks, 
however,  to  our  well-served  batteries  and  preponderance 
in  numbers,  he  had  been  checked  in  turn.  The  Federal 
losses  were  about  three  thousand.  The  enemy's  loss 
was  less  severe,  and  included  several  hundred  prisoners. 
The  left  flank  of  the  Federal  army  was  now  at  Dabney's, 
on  the  White  Oak  road,  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  Five 
Forks,  and  held  the  road  one  mile  eastward,  from  which 
point  the  line  ran  in  an  irregular  semicircle  to  the  Second 
Corps  near  Burgess's  Farm.  The  troops  were  busy  all 
night  erecting  works,  and  at  four  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  Saturday,  the  1st  of  April,  three  brigades  of  Hill's 
Corps  charged  the  Twenty-fourth  Corps,  which,  being 
taken  by  surprise,  immediately  broke  to  the  rear,  and  the 
enemy  planted  his  colors  on  the  works.  The  men  were,  how- 
ever, soon  rallied,  and  drove  the  enemy  out.  Heavy  skir- 
mishing ensued  for  several  hours.  Our  loss  was  small.  Soon 
afterwards  the  grand  movements  of  the  day  commenced. 

Upon  hearing  of  the  disaster  of  Friday,  Grant  had 
placed  Sheridan  in  command  of  all  the  cavalry  and  also 
of  the  Fifth  Corps,  so  that  he  now  controlled  upwards  of 
thirty  thousand  men.  This  large  force  was  superior  to 
any  thing  the  enemy  could  oppose  to  it  at  Five  Forks  from 
his  long  line,  reaching  from  Petersburg  to  Dinwiddie. 
The  plan  of  Sheridan  was  to  penetrate  the  enemy's  lines 
so  as  to  envelop  Five  Forks  and  capture  it.  The  cav- 
alry started  for  their  appointed  positions  at  daybreak 
of  Saturday,  Custer  and  Devin  slowly  driving  the  ene- 
my towards  the  left  of  their  works  on  the  White  Oak 
road.  These  divisions  now  dismounted,  and  fought  with 


1172  HISTORY  OF   THE   GKEAT   REBELLION. 

carbines.  The  brigades  of  Gregg  and  Mackenzie  were 
kept  in  the  saddle,  so  as  to  move  rapidly  on  the  flank  of 
the  enemy.  In  this  way  Sheridan  worked  his  men  stead- 
ily up  to  the  enemy's  intrenchments  on  all  sides.  The 
enemy  fell  slowly  back  through  the  broken  country  to 
his  main  position,  delivering  a  terrific  fire  upon  our  men, 
who. fell  in  great  numbers.  Still,  however,  Sheridan  kept 
his  men  up  to  their  work,  and  gradually  got  all  his  forces 
well  into  position,  with  a  division  or  more  upon  the  ene- 
my's flank  and  rear,  and  the  rest  of  his  troops  pressing 
slowly  and  with  much  loss  upon  the  front  of  the  works. 
At  three  o'clock  the  Fifth  Corps,  which  was  on  the  road 
towards  Ford's  Station,  was  ordered  to  advance  on  the 
right  and  support  the  cavalry.  The  enemy  fell  back 
stubbornly  for  some  distance,  and  then  made  a  decisive 
stand.  Strongly  intrenched,  and  with  a  battery  in  posi- 
tion, they  raked  the  advancing  columns  of  Griffin,  War- 
ren being  superseded  by  order  of  Sheridan,  leading  the 
Fifth  Corps  on  the  right  and  the  cavalry  on  the  left. 
Several  times  the  blinding  sheets  of  fire  which  poured 
from  the  rebel  works  were  too  much  for  the  men,  and 
they  staggered  back  appalled.  Their  high  courage,  how- 
ever, did  not  fail  to  tell  in  the  long  run.  Encouraged  by 
Sheridan,  who  was  by  turns  in  all  parts  of  the  field, 
cheering  and  exhorting,  they  rushed  on  again  and  again, 
until  the  enemy,  surrounded  and  exhausted,  could  no 
longer  drive  back  the  assailants  that  swarmed  over  his 
works.  He  finally  gave  away,  and  Sheridan's  forces 
rushed  in.  After  another  fierce  struggle  the  position  was 
ours,  and  Sheridan  stood,  at  half-past  one  o  clock,  p.  M., 
upon  the  blood-stained  works,  master  of  from  four  thou- 
sand to  six  thousand  prisoners,  eight  guns,  and  several 
thousand  muskets,  having  sustained  a  loss  of  about  thirty- 
five  hundred  dead  and  wounded. 

Sheridan  being  thus  in  possession  of  the  works  on  the 
enemy's  right,  at  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Sunday, 
April  2d,  orders  for  the  assault  of  Petersburg  were  issued. 
The  troops  had  been  held  in  readiness  for  the  movement 
since  Sheridan's  first  advance  on  the  left.  The  loss  of 
his  position  on  the  extreme  right  had  forced  upon  the 
rebel  general  the  necessity  of  abandoning  Petersburg.  It 
also  enabled  General  Grant  to  shorten  and  greatly  re-en- 
force his  lines,  so  that  the  environment  of  Petersburg 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1173 

upon  the  south  side  was  perfect,  and  so  strong  as  to  repel 
any  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  break  through.  The  exten- 
sion of  the  left  across  the  Southside  road  sealed  the  fate 
of  Petersburg,  and  rendered  it  valuable  to  the  enemy 
only  as  an  outpost  to  Richmond.  Lee  consequently  pre- 
pared to  withdraw  his  army  from  Petersburg.  At  four 
o'clock,  however,  on  Sunday  morning,  the  Second,  Sixth, 
and  Ninth  Corps  were  formed  for  the  attack-the  Sixth 
being  in  front  of  Forts  Welch  and  Fisher.  "Hie  Second 
Corps  was  in  advance,  with  its  three  divisions  arranged 
in  numerical  order  from  right  to  left.  A  portion  of  the 
Twenty-fourth  Corps  was  brought  up  in  support  of  the 
Sixth.  While  the  formation  was  going  on,  a  terrific  can- 
nonade showered  missiles  upon  the  columns.  It  was 
early  dawn  when  the  troops  pushed  forward.  Getty  and 
Wheaton,  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  after  being  once  checked 
by  the  terrific  fire  of  the  enemy,  rushed  forward  again, 
and  carried  the  two  forts  in  their  front,  while  Seymour, 
after  a  sharp  fight,  broke  through  to  the  Southside  Bail- 
road,  and  commenced  tearing  it  up.  Here  he  found  the 
Twenty-fourth  Corps,  which,  between  the  Sixth  and 
Second,  had  been  equally  fortunate.  The  right  division 
of  the  Second  Corps  and  the  two  divisions  of  the 
Twenty-fourth  had  captured  about  one  thousand  prisoners 
and  many  guns,  and  carried  the  works  up  to  the  railroad. 
The  whole  line  was  now  swung  in  towards  Petersburg, 
the  Twenty-fourth  marching  in  to  the  support  of  the 
Sixth,  and  W heaton  pressing  over  to  the  aid  of  the  Ninth. 
The  enemy,  from  a  strong  position  in  the  rear  of  the  cap- 
tured forts,  opened  a  hot  and  destructive  fire  upon  our 
men,  but,  after  a  hard  struggle,  succumbed,  their  leader, 
A.  P.  Hill,  being  killed,  with  many  of  his  officers.  By 
eleven  o'clock  the  hardest  fighting  was  done,  and,  with 
brief  pause,  our  lines  were  once  more  gathered  up,  and 
the  Twenty-fourth,  Second,  and  Sixth  Corps  once  more 
formed  for  a  final  attack  on  Petersburg.  The  battle 
raged  through  the'afternoon.  At  night,  the  Sixth  Corps 
rested  its  lett  close  to  the  Appomattox,  south  of^the  city. 
It  had  captured  about  two  thousand  prisoners,  and  about 
twenty  guns. 

During  the  attack  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  the  Ninth,  on  the 
right,  advanced  against  Fort  Mahone,  one  of  the  strong- 
est positions  on  the  enemy's  lines,  which  had  been  weak- 


HISTORY   OF  THE  QKEAT  EEBELLION. 

ened,  however,  in  order  to  resist  the  advance  of  Sheridan. 
After  a  desperate  struggle,  Fort  Mahone  and  neighboring 
works,  carrying  fourteen  guns,  were  taken.  But  the  posi- 
tion was  too  important  to  be  BO  sacrificed.  Commanding 
Fort  Mahone  was  an  interior  work,  from  which  the  enemy 
opened  a  murderous  fire  on  our  troops.  The  latter  ad- 
vanced to  carry  the  new  position,  but  were  repeatedly 
driven  back  with  great  loss.  Hill's  troops  then  charged 
in  turn  to  retake  Fort  Mahone,  and,  by  the  desperate 
valor  of  his  few  troops,  nearly  succeeded  in  doing  so. 
But,  fortunately,  the  Sixth  Corps  now  coming  up  on  the 
left,  once  more  the  enemy  were  driven  back,  and  the 
Ninth  Corps  held  the  position.  At  the  close  of  the  fight, 
the  enemy  had  lost,  perhaps,  not  more  than  half  as  many 
as  we  in  killed  and  wounded,  as  our  troops  had  charged 
elaborate  breastworks  under  a  galling  fire — works  so 
strong  that,  had  not  their  garrisons  been  fatally  weakened 
by  the  necessity  of  sending  troops  against  Sheridan,  they 
might  never  have  been  carried  by  storm. 

The  results  of  the  conflict  had  been  anticipated  by  Lee, 
who  on  Sunday  afternoon  began  transporting  troops  to 
Richmond,  and  thence  beyond.  On  Monday  morning 
both  cities  were  found  to  be  evacuated.  General  Weitzel, 
temporarily  commanding  the  Army  of  the  James,  learned 
at  three  A.  M.  that  Richmond  was  being  evacuated,  and 
at  daylight  moved  forward,  first  taking  care  to  give  his 
men  breakfast,  in  the  expectation  that  they  might  have  to 
fight.  He  met  no  opposition,  and  on  entering  the  city 
was  greeted  with  hearty  welcome  from  the  mass  of  the 
people.  The  mayor  went  out  to  meet  him  and  to  surren- 
der the  city,  but  missed  him  on  the  road.  General  Weit- 
zel found  much  suffering  and  poverty  aniong  the  popula- 
tion, who  numbered  only  about  twenty  thousand,  half  of 
them  of  African  descent.  Previous  to  evacuating  the 
city  the  enemy  fired  it.  All  the  business  part  of  Main 
street  was  destroyed,  and  also  the  bridges  over  the  river. 

Weitzel  took  one  thousand  prisoners,  besides  the 
wounded,  who  numbered  five  thousand,  in  nine  hospitals. 
He  captured  cannon  to  the  number  of  at  least  five  hun- 
dred pieces.  Five  thousand  muskets  were  found  in  one 
lot,  also  thirty  locomotives  and  three  hundred  cars.  All 
the  rebel  vessels  had  been  destroyed  except  an  unfinished 
ram.  The  Tredegar  works  were  unharmed,  and  the 


HISTORY   OF   THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  1175 

machinery  was  taken  under  General  Weitzel's  orders. 
Libby  Prison  and  Castle  Thunder,  which  had  escaped  the 
fire,  were  immediately  filled  with  rebel  prisoners  of  war. 

Meantime,  on  the  morning  of  the  3d,  Sheridan  pressed 
the  pursuit.  Lee,  in  retreating  from  Richmond,  reached 
Amelia  Court-House  on  the  4th,  and  on  the  5th  Sheridan 
was  at  Jettersville,  whence  he  sent  word  to  Grant  that  he 
could  see  no  escape  for  Lee.  The  cavalry  and  the  Fifth 
Corps  lay  across  the  railroad,  and  in  the  rear  was  the  Sec- 
ond Corps,  with  the  Sixth  supporting.  The  two  last 
were  under  General  Meade.  On  the  4th,  two  divisions 
of  the  Ninth  Corps  marched  from  Petersburg  to  Ford's 
Station,  on  the  Southside  road,  about  twenty  miles  west 
of  Petersburg.  On  the  5th  it  started  again,  and,  still 
moving  on  the  Cox  road,  towards  Burkesville,  along  the 
railroad,  camped  at  night  at  Wellesville,  twenty-one  miles 
distant  from  the  latter  point.  The  next  day,  the  6th,  it 
pressed  on  along  the  same  road,  and  encamped  at  night 
about  ten  miles  from  Burkesville,  with  one  brigade  of  the 
Second  Division  thrown  forward  to  the  junction. 

Thus  on  the  night  of  the  5th  the  army  lay  in  line  of 
battle,  stretching  across  three  or  four  miles  of  country, 
and  facing  substantially  northward.  Custer's  Division  of 
cavalry  lay  on  the  right  flank,  and  McKenzie's  on  the 
left.  The  infantry  line  was  formed  with  the  Sixth  Corps 
on  the  right,  the  Fifth  in  the  centre,  and  the  Second  on 
the  left.  On  the  6th  began  our  final  manoeuvres.  The 
Sixth  Corps  was  transferred  from  the  right  to  the  left, 
and  the  whole  army  had,  before  noon,  marched  about  five 
miles  in  the  direction  of  Amelia  Court-House.  Soon 
after  moving,  trustworthy  intelligence  was  received  that 
the  enemy  was  moving  towards  Farmville. 

The  direction  of  the  Second  and  Fifth  Corps  was 
immediately  changed  from  a  northerly  to  a  northwesterly 
direction,  the  directing  corps,  the  Second,  moving  on 
Deatonville,  while  the  Fifth,  heretofore  in  the  centre, 
moved  on  the  right  of  the  Second,  and  the  Sixth,  facing 
about  and  moving  by  the  left  flank,  took  position  on  the 
left  of  the  Second.  The  cavalry  were  directed  to  operate 
on  the  extreme  left.'  The  changes  were  promptly  made, 
the  Second  Corps  soon  becoming  engaged  with  the  enemy 
near  Deatonville,  driving  him  across  Sailor's  Creek  to  the 
Appomattox.  The  Fifth  Corps  made  a  long  march,  but 


1176  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 

its  position  prevented  its  striking  the  enemy's  column 
before  it  had  passed.  The  Sixth  Corps  came  up  with  the 
enemy  about  four  P.  M.,  and,  in  conjunction  with  the 
Second  on  its  right,  and  cavalry  on  its  left,  attacked  and 
routed  the  enemy,  capturing  many  prisoners,  among 
them  Lieutenant-General  Ewell  and  General  Custis  Lee. 

After  this  defeat,  Lee  retired  upon  Barnesville,  sixteen 
miles  west  of  Burkesville.  Here  he  was  sharply  engaged, 
on  the  7th,  by  the  Second  Corps,  and,  after  inflicting 
some  loss,  again  retired  across  the  Appomattox  at  High 
Bridge,  where  he  captured  some  troops  stationed  there 
to  hold  the  bridge,  which  he  destroyed,  and  retreated 
upon  Lynchburg.  The  position  of  Lee  was  now  hope- 
less. His  army  nad  dwindled  to  a  small  force,  and  this 
was  now  almost  surrounded  by  troops  greatly  superior  in 
numbers  and  flushed  with  victory.  Hancock's  column 
had  left  Winchester  on  the  4th,  for  a  inarch  up  the  Shen- 
andoah  -Valley,  well  equipped  and  in  good  spirits,  and 
ready  to  seize  Lynchburg ;  but  their  services  were  not 
required.  Stoneman's  column  had  already  reached 
Boone,  North  Carolina,  and  would  have  aided  in  the 
capture  of  Lee's  army,  were  not  Sherman's  grand  army 
already  advancing  in  overwhelming  numbers  upon  John- 
ston's army,  and  the  hour  of  surrender  had  struck. 

On  Sunday,  the  9th  of  April,  1865 — a  date  which  will 
ever  hereafter  be  memorable  in  American  annals — in  a 
farm-house  near  Appomattox  Court-House,  the  capitula- 
tion was  signed,  by  which  the  remnant  of  the  once  famous 
army,  so  often  led  by  Lee  to  victory  or  invasion,  passed 
out  of  existence.  In  the  ecclesiastical  calendar  for  the 
year,  this  Sunday  was  known  as  Palm  Sunday — the  day 
which  commemorates  the  triumphal  entry  of  Christ  into 
Jerusalem.  Hereafter  it  is  destined  to  be  a  patriotic  as 
well  as  a  pious  anniversary.  The  result  was  hailed  with 
unbounded  delight  by  the  Union  soldiers,  and,  for  half  an 
hour  or  more,  the  air  resounded  with  their  cheers,  although 
many  expressed  their  dissatisfaction,  not  only  at  the  un- 
precedented liberality  granted  to  the  rebels,  but  at  the. 
manner  in  which  they  were  paroled  and  allowed  to  go 
their  way,  without  our  men  being  permitted  to  enjoy  the 
results  of  their  long  struggle  in  the  passage  through  the 
lines  of  Lee  and  his  armv.  But  it  was  urged  that  this 
would  have  been  humiliating  to  General  Lee  and  his  offi- 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1177 

cers,  and  that  it  was  not  the  wish  or  desire  of  the  Govern- 
ment or  the  Union  commanders  to  act  towards  them  in 
any  way  that  would  tend  to  irritate  their  feelings,  or 
make  their  position  more  intolerable  than  it  actually  was. 
During  Sunday  night  and  Monday,  large  numbers  of 
the  rebels,  officers  as  well  as  privates,  made  their  escape 
from  the  lines,  and  scattered  through  the  woods,  many  of 
whom  returned  at  once  to  their  homes.  Although  Lee 
probably  had  upwards  of  fifty  thousand  men  when  our 
forward  movement  began,  not  above  eighteen  thousand, 
including  teamsters,  hospital  men,  and  camp-followers  of 
all  descriptions,  were  surrendered  by  him.  As  only  ten 
thousand  muskets  and  about  thirty  pieces  of  artillery 
were  surrendered,  it  is  fair  to  presume  that  the  available 
rebel  force  on  April  9th  did  not  exceed  fourteen  thousand 
men.  Upwards  of  ten  thousand  had  been  killed  and 
wounded  in  battle,  and  considerably  over  twenty  thou- 
sand had  been  taken  prisoners  or  had  deserted.  Our  to- 
tal captures  of  artillery,  during  the  battles  and  pursuit, 
and  at  the  surrender,  amounted  to  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty pieces. 

The  surrender  of  Lee  was  followed  by  the  voluntary 
surrender  of  most  of  the  regular  troops  of  the  enemy  in 
the  Shenandoah.  On  the  15th,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Far- 
rel,  of  Mosby's  command,  came,  under  flag  of  truce,  to 
our  picket  lines  on  the  Kernstown  road,  and  arranged 
with  General  Hancock  to  surrender  the  forces  of  Mosby 
on  the  terms  accorded  to  General  Lee,  his  troops  being 
recognized  as  a  part  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia. 
On  the  17th,  at  noon,  Mosby  surrendered  his  forces  to 
General  Chapman,  at  Berryville,  receiving  the  terms 
granted  to  Lee.  General  Bosser  was  also  permitted  to 
have  his  command  included  in  the  cartel.  The  exact  num- 
ber of  men  in  Mosby's  command  did  not  vary  much  from 
seven  hundred. 

With  the  announcement  of  the  fall  of  Richmond  and 
Petersburg,  and  the  capitulation  of  Lee,  the  loyal  popu- 
lation of  the  country  surrendered  itself  to  rejoicing,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  one  universal  jubilee  was  being  held.  Those 
who  had  been  from  the  outset  in  favor  of  a  vigorous 
prosecution  of  the  war  were  not  less  thankful  for  the 
speedy  approach  of  peace  than  those  who  had  sincerely 
deprecated  hostilities  and  advocated  peace  on  principle. 


1178  HISTORY   OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION". 

Both,  parties  had  gained  their  end,  and  botli,  disregarding 
for  the  time  the  manner  in  which  it  had  been  gained, 
were  brought  into  close  sympathy.  The  war  party,  how- 
ever, by  the  very  extravagance  of  its  delight,  showed  how 
severe  had  been  the  effort  to  remain  true  to  its  often 
avowed  purpose  of  conquering  a  peace.  During  the  ad- 
vance movement  of  Grant,  President  Lincoln  remained 
at  the  head-quarters  of  the  latter  before  Petersburg,  a 
deeply  interested  spectator  of  the  closing  act  of  the  great 
drama,  which  had  been  protracted  through  four  years  of 
varying  fortunes.  A  few  miles  only  separated  the  two 
presidents.  On  Saturday,  the  1st  of  April,  was  fought 
the  decisive  battle  of  Five  Forks ;  and  on  the  succeeding 
morning,  while  Davis  was  attending  service  at  the  Mon- 
umental Church  in  Richmond,  an  orderly,  splashed  from 
head  to  foot  with  mire,  entered  the  building,  strode  hastily 
up  the  aisle,  and  handed  him  a  dispatch  from  Lee:  It 
announced  that  all  was  over,  and  counselled  the  rebel 
chief  to  take  his  immediate  departure  from  the  city.  A 
few  hours  later  found  Davis  a  fugitive  on  his  way  to 
Danville,  leaving  behind  him  the  capital  he  had  so  fre- 
quently boasted  his  ability  to  hold  against  the  utmost 
power  of  the  Union,  and  two  days  afterwards,  Mr.  Lin- 
coln entered  Richmond  in  triumph,  amid  the  acclamations 
of  thousands,  and  held  a  levee  in  the  rebel  presidential 
mansion.  This  incident  formed  a  significant  and  fitting 
close  to  the  great  campaign  against  Richmond. 


CHAPTER   LXXYI. 

Eaids  in  Kentucky  and  East  Tennessee. — Defeat  and  Death  of  Morgan. — - 
Successes  of  Stoneman  and  Burhridge. — Destruction  of  Works  at  Salt- 
ville. — Stoneman's  Last  Raid. — Capture  of  Salisbury. — Negotiations 
between  Sherman  and  Johnston. — Agreement  for  Surrender  by  Johnston 
disavowed  at  Washington. — Reasons  Assigned. — Final  Surrender  of 
Johnston. — Wilson's  great  Raid  in  Alabama  and  Georgia. — Capture  of 
Selma,  Montgomery,  and  Macon. — Exchanges  of  Prisoners. — Cruel  Treat- 
ment by  Rebels  of  Union  Prisoners. — Horrors  of  Andersonville. — Rebel 
Plots  in  Canada. — The  St.  Albans  Raid. — Execution  of  Beall  and  Ken- 
nedy.— Attempts  to  Fire  American  Cities  and  Introduce  Pestilence. 

IT  is  now  necessary  to  go  back  a  few  months,  and  notice 
briefly  several  events  which  had  an  indirect,  though  not 
unimportant,  bearing  on  the  grand  result  related  in  the 


HISTORY   OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  1179 

previous  chapter.  It  had  long  been  a  favorite  theory 
with  many  experienced  military  men,  that,  in  the  event 
of  disaster  before  Richmond,  Lee  would  retire  with  his 
army  into  Southwestern  Yirginia,  and  thence  pass  into 
East  and  Middle  Tennessee,  where  the  remaining  forces 
of  the  Confederacy  would  be  concentrated.  He  would 
then  be  in  a  position  to  threaten  Chattanooga.  Nashville, 
or  Louisville,  and  it  was  predicted  that  the  decisive  bat- 
tle of  the  war  would  be  fought  somewhere  in  Tennessee. 
Accordingly,  as  long  as  the  rebels  kept  any  considerable 
force  in  East  Tennessee,  which  forms  the  doorway  to  the 
Yalley  of  the  Mississippi,  a  Union  army  of  corresponding 
strength  was  retained  there.  Knoxville  was  rendered 
doubly  strong,  and  outlying  bodies  of  infantry  and 
cavalry  were  pushed  well  up  the  railroad  and  the  Ilolston 
River  Valley,  towards  the  Yirginia ,  line.  But  by  May, 
1864,  both  sides  were  so  much  occupied  with  the  great 
Richmond  and  Atlanta  campaigns,  that  affairs  in  East 
Tennessee  lost  nearly  all  their  interest.  Nevertheless, 
the  presence  of  scattered  bodies  of  irregular  rebel  cavalry 
in  Southwestern  Virginia  proved  a  source  of  constant 
alarm  to  the  comparatively  unprotected  inhabitants  of 
Eastern  Kentucky.  Darting  unexpectedly  through  the 
gaps  of  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  these  rough  riders 
would  occasionally  fall  upon  some  isolated  post,  capture 
its  garrison,  and,  after  killing,  burning,  and  robbing 
through  the  adjoining  country,  would  be  back  in  their 
mountain  fastnesses  before  pursuit  could  overtake  them. 
Early  in  June,  1864,  the  noted  guerrilla  chief,  John  Mor- 
gan, entered  Kentucky  through  Pound  Gap,  at  the  head 
of  two  thousand  five  hundred  mounted  men,  and  pushed 
directly  towards  Lexington,  plundering  and  destroying  on 
the  way,  and  spreading  consternation  on  every  side.  On 
the  8th,  Paris  was  captured  and  plundered  by  a  portion 
of  his  forces.  The  next  day,  however,  General  JBurbridge, 
who  had  been  on  Morgan's  track  from  Virginia,  came  up 
with  him  near  Mount  Sterling,  having  marched  ninety 
miles  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  defeated  him.  By  mount- 
ing his  troopers  on  stolen  horses,  Morgan  got  rapidly 
away  from  Burbridge,  and  on  the  10th  entered  Lexington, 
where  he  burned  the  railroad  station,  and  plundered  the 
stores  and  private  dwellings.  The  Union  garrison,  how- 
ever, held  the  fort.  Thence  be  proceeded  to  Cynthiana, 


1180  HISTORY  OF  THE  GKEAT  REBELLION". 

attacked  and  defeated  two  Ohio  regiments  under  General 
Hobson,  and  captured  the  entire  force,  besides  burning  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  town.  On  the  12th,  Bur- 
bridge,  following  hard  on  Morgan's  traces,  overtook  him 
at  Cynthiana,  and  attacked  him  at  daylight.  After  an 
hour's  hard  fighting,  the  enemy  were  completely  routed, 
losing  three  hundred  killed,  about  as  many  wounded, 
nearly  four  hundred  prisoners,  and  one  thousand  horses. 
Burbridge  also  recaptured  one  hundred  of  Hobson's  men. 
The  total  Union  loss  did  not  exceed  one  hundred  and 
fifty.  A  few  days  later,  Hobson  and  his  staff  were  re- 
captured. By  this  defeat,  the  enemy  were  so  completely 
broken  up  and  demoralized,  that  they  were  glad  to  make 
their  escape,  in  small  scattered  parties,  into  Virginia. 

Morgan  subsequently  rallied  the  remnant  of  his  force, 
but  for  some  time  no  enterprise  of  consequence  was  un- 
dertaken by  either  side.  The  restless  guerrilla  could 
not,  however,  remain  long  unoccupied,  and  by  the 
beginning  of  September  his  band  was  again  in  motion, 
with  the  view  of  striking  at  the  town  of  Greenville,  East 
Tennessee,  on  the  line  of  railroad  connecting  Lynchburg 
with  Knoxville.  He  occupied  the  place  on  September 
3d,  and  on  the  same  night  was  surprised  and  killed  by  a 
Union  force,  under  General  Gillem,  which  had  made  a 
forced  march  thither  from  Bull  Gap,  sixteen  miles  distant. 
The  death  of  Morgan  was  followed  by  another  compara- 
tive cessation  of  hostilities  in  East  Tennessee,  both  sides 
merely  watching  each  other.  Public  attention  at  that 
time  was  concentrated  on  the  operations  around  Atlanta. 

About  the  1st  of  October,  however,  an  attempt  was 
made  by  General  Burbridge  to  capture  Saltville,  in 
Southwestern  Virginia,  and  destroy  the  large  salt-works 
there,  which  were  of  great  importance  to  the  rebels.  He 
found  himself  confronted  by  a  superior  force  under  Breck- 
inridge,  who  had  been  placed  in  command  of  the  rebel 
troops  in  that  quarter,  and,  after  pushing  the  enemy  in- 
side of  his  defensive  works,  was  compelled,  through  the 
failure  of  his  ammunition,  to  retire,  with  the  loss  of  three 
hundred  and  fifty  men. 

On  October  28th,  Gillem  suddenly  attacked  the  rebel 
brigades  of  Vaughan  and  Palmer,  at  Morristown,  near 
Bull  Gap,  defeating  them  with  a  loss  of  three  or  four 
hundred  men,  and  four  pieces  of  artillery.  Soon  after 


HISTORY   OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  1181 

this  affair,  Breckinridge,  re-enforced  by  the  return  of  ab- 
sentees and  the  arrival  of  new  recruits,  attacked  Gillem 
on  the  night  of  the  13th,  near  Bull  Gap,  and  defeated 
him.  Our  cavalry  gave  way  in  the  greatest  confusion,  a 
large  number  throwing  away  their  arms  in  their  flight. 
Gillem  lost  all  his  artillery  (one  battery),  and  his  trains 
and  baggage.  Owing  to  the  darkness  his  casualties  were 
small,  two  hundred  and  twenty  being  the  total  reported. 
Subsequently,  Gillem  retreated  to  Knoxville,  where  he 
arrived  on  the  20th.  The  repulse  of  Gillem  excited  some 
apprehension  for  the  safety  of  Eastern  Kentucky,  and 
Burb ridge  began  to  concentrate  troops  beyond  Lexing- 
ton. Breckin ridge  assumed  the  air  of  a  conqueror  in 
East  Tennessee,  issuing  a  proclamation  granting  protec- 
tion to  all  who  might  wish  to  lay  down  their  arms  and 
become  peaceable  and  quiet  citizens.  His  appointment 
to  the  command  in  this  part  of  the  country  was  identical, 
it  will  be  remembered,  with  the  invasion  of  Tennessee 
by  Hood,  and  it  was  expected  by  the  rebel  authorities 
that  the  two  generals  would  form  a  junction  somewhere 
between  Knoxville  and  Nashville.  Had  this  been  effected, 
serious  consequences  might  have  ensued,  and  the  con- 
summation of  the  well-laid  plans  for  the  overthrow  of  the 
rebel  power  been  delayed,  or  possibly  prevented. 

"With  a  view  of  stopping  the  progress  of  Breckinridge, 
General  Stoneman  was  early  in  December  appointed  to 
command  in  East  Tennessee.  On  the  10th  he  left  Knox- 
ville, with  three  cavalry  brigades,  under  Burbridge  and 
Gillem,  and  moved  with  great  rapidity  upon  Bristol,  one 
hundred  and  thirty  miles  from  Knoxville,  where  he  ar- 
rived on  the  14th,  having  severed  communication  between 
the  rebel  brigades  of  Yaughan  and  Duke,  and  left  the 
former  far  in  the  rear.  At  Bristol,  three  hundred  prison- 
ers and  several  railroad  trains  laden  with  supplies  were 
captured.  Fifteen  miles  more  brought  the  command  to 
Abingdon,  where  many  supplies  and  quartermaster  and 
ordnance  stores  were  destroyed.  By  very  heavy  forced 
marching,  Yaughan  had  succeeded  in  getting  on  the  pike 
to  the  left  of  Bristol.  One  of  our  columns  had  preceded 
him,  and  burned  the  depots  at  Marion  and  Thomas's  Fur- 
nace, but  had  then  turned  off  to  the  right.  Yaughan,  on 
reaching  Marion,  set  his  brigade  at  work  intrenching; 
but  in  a  few  hours,  Gillem,  who  had  pursued  in  a  hard 


1182  HI8TOEY  OF  THE  CHEAT  REBELLION. 

march  of  twenty-nine  miles,  came  upon  him,  attacked 
him  instantly,  and,  after  a  very  hot  and  hard  fight,  drove 
him  back  to  Wytheville,  thirty  miles,  killing  twenty  men, 
wounding  a  proportionate  number,  and  capturing  three 
hundred  and  nine  prisoners,  and  eight  pieces  of  artillery. 
This  running,  fight  was  conducted  with  the  greatest  vigor. 
Vaughan  was  attacked  once  more  fifteen  miles  east  of 
Wytheville  at  the  great  lead  mines,  the  most  important 
works  of  the  kind  in  the  Confederacy,  where  our  forces 
destroyed  all  the  buildings  and  machinery.  Up  to  this 
time,  Gillern  had  captured,  besides  what  has  been  re- 
corded, several  extra  caissons,  with  large  quantities  of 
pack-saddles,  ammunition,  wagons,  and  other  property, 
worth  over  a  million  of  dollars.  A  large  wagon-train 
was  captured  at  Wytheville.  Our  forces  remained  in 
Wytheville  but  a  few  hours,  and  then  retired  towards 
Seven-Mile  Ford,  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  miles  from 
Knoxville.  Gillem,  however,  pushed  on  to  Max  Meadows, 
destroying  railroad  bridges  and  tracks,  and  other  species 
of  public  property  to  a  large  amount. 

Meanwhile,  Burbridge's  forces,  retiring  from  Wythe- 
ville, were  encountered  near  Marion  and  repulsed  by 
Breckinridge,  who  had  moved  his  troops  out  from  Salt- 
ville  for  that  purpose  on  hearing  of  our  withdrawal  from 
Wytheville.  But,  fortunately,  Gillem  came  up  with  his 
brigade,  on  returning  from  Max  Meadows,  just  as  our 
troops  were  giving  way,  restored  the  fortunes  of  the  day, 
captured  eleven  pieces  of  artillery,  two  hundred  prisoners, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  negroes,  and  ninety-three  wagons, 
and  Breckinridge's  own  head-quarters,  and  drove  that 
general  back  on  Mount  Airy.  The  whole  action  of  the 
18th  at  Marion,  which  was  the  principal  battle  of  the 
campaign,  lasted  more  than  a  day.  Our  loss  was  between 
fifty  and  one  hundred,  and  that  of  the  rebels  quite  as 
great,  besides  the  prisoners  we  captured.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  19th,  Breckinridge  pushed  over  towards  North 
Carolina.  One  detachment  of  our  troops,  meanwhile,  had 
moved  on  Glade  Springs,  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight 
miles  from  Knoxville,  and  Saltville,  nine  miles  beyond. 
At  three  o'clock  p.  M.  of  the  20th,  our  troops  entered 
Saltville  with  a  mere  show  of  resistance.  Soon  after,  the 
public  buildings  and  all  the  machinery  and  works  were 
fired  and  totally  destroyed.  Great  quantities  of  salt  were 


HISTORY  OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1183 

destroyed  by  trampling  it  in  the  mud.  The  immense 
works,  which  could  turn  out,  it  was  said,  over  live  thou- 
sand bushels  a  day,  and  are  among  the  largest  in  the 
world,  were  very  seriously  injured.  Nearly  all  the  ket- 
tles were  destroyed  by  punching  out  their  heavy  bottoms, 
and  the  vats,  engines,  and  boilers  demolished.  With  the 
defeat  of  Breckinridge  ended  his  attempt  to  threaten  East 
Tennessee.  The  disaster  to  Hood's  army  before  Nashville 
destroyed  the  well-devised  scheme  of  the  rebels  to  create 
a  diversion  in  that  quarter,  and  thenceforth  they  had 
quite  enough  to  do  to  act  on  the  defensive  in  Virginia  and 
the  Carolinas. 

Matters  remained  quiet  in  East  Tennessee  for  a  number 
of  weeks  after  the  events  just  described,  but  when  the 
march  of  Sherman  northward  gave  the  signal  to  the  other 
Union  generals  to  close  in  upon  Lee,  Stoneman  was 
directed  to  equip  a  heavy  cavalry  column  at  Knoxville 
for  a  co-operative  movement  into  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina.  Starting  on  March  10th,  he  moved  rapidly  to 
Boone,  North  Carolina,  and  thence  passing  into  the  Yad- 
kin  River  valley,  pushed  northward  for  the  Virginia  and 
Tennessee  Railroad,  which  he  destroyed  between  Wythe- 
ville  and  Salem,  Virginia.  On  April  6th  he  moved  via 
Jacksonville  and  Danbury  into  North  Carolina  again, 
and  on  the  12th  reached  the  vicinity  of  Salisbury,  where 
about  three  thousand  troops,  under  the  command  of  Gen- 
eral Gardiner,  and  fourteen  pieces  of  artillery,  under 
command  of  Colonel  (late  Lieutenant-General)  Member- 
ton,  were  drawn  up  to  oppose  him.  The  whole  formed 
behind  Grant's  Creek,  about  two  miles  and  a  half  from 
Salisbury.  As  soon  as  a  proper  disposition  could  be 
made,  Stoneman  ordered  a  general  charge  upon  the  entire 
line,  and  the  result  was  the  capture  of  the  whole  fourteen 
pieces  of  artillery,  and  one  thousand  three  hundred  and 
sixty-four  prisoners,  including  fifty-five  officers.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  force  was  chased  through  and  several  miles 
beyond  the  town,  but  scattered  and  escaped  into  the  woods. 

Finally,  on  April  10th,  Sherman  started  his  road-worn 
veterans  once  more  on  the  track  of  his  old  antagonist, 
Johnston.  On  that  day,  Kilpatrick  moved  his  cavalry 
out  on  the  road  to  Raleigh,  and  next  day,  the  llth,  the 
infantry  started  in  light  marching  order.  The  march 
was,  however,  quite  deliberate  and  easy,  as  the  railroad, 


1184:  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT  REBELLION. 

broken  up  by  the  enemy  between  Raleigh  and  Goldsboro', 
was  to  be  repaired.  The  troops  were  well  supplied  with 
provisions.  On  the  13th,  Raleigh  was  reached  and  occu- 
pied, with  only  a  slight  skirmisn  on  the  outskirts,  John- 
ston falling  back  upon  Hillsboro'.  On  the  following  day 
a  conference  with  Sherman  was  asked  for  by  Johnston, 
through  a  flag  of  truce,  with  a  request  for  an  armistice 
and  a  statement  of  the  best  terms  on  which  Johnston 
would  be  permitted  to  surrender  the  army  under  his  com- 
mand. General  Sherman  answered  immediately  that  if 
the  surrender  of  the  rebel  army  was  the  object  of  such 
a  truce  as  was  requested,  he  would  accede  to  it,  but  if  any 
thing  else  was  desired,  he  wished  to  know  it,  in  order  to 
decide  whether  or  not  it  would  be  necessary  to  send 
for  the  Lieuten ant-General.  He  stated  his  readiness 
to  meet  Johnston  at  any  time  to  confer  on  the  subject 
of  his  wants.  This  offer  was  promptly  accepted,  and, 
through  Wade  Hampton,  the  point  of  meeting  was  agreed 
upon.  At  Mr.  James  Bennett's,  a  little  hut  on  the 
left  of  the  Chapel  Hill  road,  five  miles  from  Durham's 
Station,  and  thirty  from  Raleigh,  the  meeting  took  place. 
Sherman  was  accompanied  by  nis  chief-engineer,  Colonel 
O.  M.  Poe,  and  General  Barry,  with  others  of  his  staff, 
and  met  General  Johnston,  with  Major  Johnston  and 
Captain  Hampton,  of  his  staff.  Both  generals  were 
accompanied  by  their  cavalry  generals,  Kilpatrick  and 
Wade  Hampton. 

At  the  first  meeting  between  the  generals  no  arrange- 
ment was  perfected,  but  at  a  subsequent  meeting  on  the 
18th,  at  which  Breckinridge,  then  holding  the  office 
of  Secretary  of  War  in  the  Confederacy,  was  present,  an 
agreement  for  a  suspension  of  hostilities,  together  with  a 
memorandum  for  a  basis  of  peace,  was  signed  in  the  fol- 
lowing terms : — 

"Memorandum  or  basis  of  agreement,  made  this  18th  day  of  April,  A.  D. 
1865,  near  Durham's  Station,  and  in  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  by  and 
between  general   Joseph  E.   Johnston,  commanding  the  Confederate 
Army,  ancTMajor-General  William  T.  Sherman,  commanding  the  Army 
of  the  United  States  in  North  Carolina,  both  present. 
"  First.  The  contending  armies  now  in  the  field  to  maintain  their  statu 
quo,  until  notice  is  given  by  the  commanding  general  of  either  one  to  its 
opponent,  and  reasonable  time — say  forty-eight  hours — allowed. 

"Second.  The  Confederate  armies  now  in  existence  to  be  disbanded 
and  conducted  to  their  several  State  capitals,  there  to  deposit  their  arms 
and  public  property  in  the  State  arsenals,  and  each  officer  and  man  to  exe- 


BI8TOEY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION.  1185 

cute  and  file  an  agreement  to  cease  from  acts  of  war,  and  abide  action  of 
•"both  State  and  Federal  authority.  The  number  of  arms  and  munitions  of 
war  to  be  reported  to  the  Chief  of  Ordnance  at  "Washington  City,  subject 
to  future  action  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States ;  in  the  mean  time, 
to  be  used  solely  to  maintain  peace  and  order  within  the  borders  of  the 
States  respectively. 

"  Third.  The  recognition  by  the  Executive  of  the  United  States  of  the  sev- 
eral State  Governments,  in  their  officers  and  legislatures,  taking  oath  pre- 
scribed by  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States ;  and  where  conflicting 
State  Governments  have  resulted  from  the  war,  the  legitimacy  of  all  shall 
be  submitted  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 

"  Fourth.  The  re-establishment  of  all  Federal  Courts  in  the  several 
States,  with  powers  as  denned  by  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  Congress. 

"Fifth.  The  people  and  inhabitants  of 'all  States  to  be  guaranteed,  so  far' 
as  the  Executive  can,  their  political  rights  and  franchise,  as  well  as  their 
rights  of  person  and  property,  as  denned  by  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  and  of  States  respectively. 

"  Sixth.  The  Executive  authority  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
not  to  disturb  any  of  the  people  by  reason  of  the  late  war,  so  long  as  they 
live  in  peace  and  quiet,  and  abstain  from  acts  of  armed  hostility,  and  obey 
laws  in  existence  at  any  place  of  their  residence. 

"  In  general  terms,  war  to  cease ;  a  general  amnesty,  so  far  as  the  Exec- 
utive power  of  the  United  States  can  command,  or  on  condition  of  disband- 
ment  of  the  Confederate  armies,  and  the  distribution  of  arms  and  resump- 
tion of  peaceful  pursuits  by  officers  and  men  as  hitherto  composing  the 
said  armies,  not  being  fully  empowered  by  our  respective  principals  to  ful- 
fil these  terms,  we  individually  and  officially  pledge  ourselves  to  promptly 
obtain  necessary  authority,  and  to  carry  out  the  above  programme. 

"  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-  General, 
l;  Commanding  the  Army  of  the  United  States  in  North  Carolina. 

"  J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  General, 
"  Commanding  Confederate  States  Army  in  North  Carolina." 

Upon  the  reception  of  this  memorandum  in  Washing- 
ton, on  April  21st,  a  Cabinet  meeting  was  held,  at  which 
the  action  of  General  Sherman  was  disapproved  by  the 
President,  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  by  General  Grant, 
and  by  every  member  of  the  Cabinet.  General  Sherman 
was  ordered  to  resume  hostilities  immediately,  and  was- 
directed  that  the  instructions  given  in  the  following  tele- 
gram, which  was  penned  by  Mr.  Lincoln  himself,  at  the 
Capitol,  on  the  night  of  the  3d  of  March,  should  govern 
his  action: — 

"WASHINGTON,  March  3,  1865—12  p.  M. 
"  Lieutenant-General  GRANT  : 

"  The  President  directs  me  to  say  to  you  that  he  wishes  you  to  have  no- 
conference  with  General  Lee  unless  it  be  for  the  capitulation  of  General 
Lee's  army,  or  on  some  minor  and  purely  military  matter.  He  instructs  me 
to  say  that  you  are  not  to  decide,  discuss,  or  confer  upon  any  political 
question.  Such  questions  the  President  holds  in  his  own  hands,  and  will 
submit  them  to  no  military  conferences  or  conventions.  Meantime,  you 
are  to  press  to  the  utmost  your  military  advantages. 

,  "  EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  o 

73 


1186  HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT  EEBELLIOJT. 

The  following  are  the  reasons  given  by  Secretary  Stan- 
ton  for  disapproving  the  proceeding  of  Sherman  : — 

"First.  It  was  an  exercise  of  authority  not  vested  in  General  Sherman, 
and  on  its  face  shows  that  both  he  and  Johnston  knew  that  he  (General 
Sherman)  had  no  authority  to  enter  into  any  such  arrangement. 

"  Second.  It  was  a  practical  acknowledgment  of  the  rebel  govern- 
ment. 

l-  Third.  It  undertook  to  re-establish  the  rebel  State  Governments,  that 
had  been  overthrown  at  the  sacrifice  of  many  thousand  loyal  lives,  and  an 
immense  treasure,  and  placed  arms  and  munitions  of  war  in  the  hands  of 
the  rebels  at  their  respective  capitals,  which  might  be  used  as  soon  as  the 
armies  of  the  United  States  were  disbanded,  and  used  to  conquer  and  sub- 
due the  loyal  States. 

"  Fourth.  By  the  restoration  of  the  rebel  authority  in  their  respective 
States,  they  would  be  enabled  to  re-establish  slavery. 

"Fifth.  It  might  furnish  a  ground  of  responsibility  by  the  Federal 
Government  to  pay  the  rebel  debt,  and  certainly  subjects  loyal  citizens  of 
the  rebel  States  to  the  debt  consummated  by  the  rebels  in  the  name  of  the 
State. 

"Sixth.  It  put  in  dispute  the  existence  of  loyal  State  Governments, 
and  the  new  State  of  Western  Virginia,  which  had  been  recognized  by 
every  department  of  the  United  States  Government. 

"  Seventh.  It  practically  abolished  the  confiscation  laws,  and  relieved 
rebels  of  every  degree,  who  had  slaughtered  our  people,  from  all  pains  and 
penalties  for  their  crimes. 

"Eighth.  It  gave  terms  that  had  been  deliberately,  repeatedly,  and 
solemnly  rejected  by  President  Lincoln,  and  better  terms  than  the  rebels 
had  ever  asked  in  their  most  prosperous  condition. 

"  Ninth.  It  formed  /no  basis  of  true  and  lasting  peace,  buf  relieved 
rebels  from  the  pressure  of  our  victories,  and  left  them  in  condition  to 
renew  their  efforts  to  overthrow  the  United  States  Government,  and  subdue 
the  loyal  States,  whenever  their  strength  was  recruited,  and  any  opportu- 
nity should  offer." 

General  Grant  immediately  started  for  Raleigh,  Sher- 
man's head-quarters,  where  he  arrived  on  the  24th.  From 
that  point,  he  sent  a  dispatch  dated  at  nine  o'clock  on  the 
same  night,  stating  that  he  had  delivered  to  General 
Sherman  the  reply  to  his  dispatch  announcing  his  terms  of 
negotiation  with  the  rebel  General  Johnston,  and  that 
Johnston  was  immediately  informed  by  Sherman  that 
the  truce  was  terminated,  that  civil  matters  could  not  be 
discussed  in  any  convention  between  military  command- 
ers, and  that  the  terms  accorded  to  General  Lee  were  the 
only  ones  that  would  be  entertained  by  the  United  States 
Government.  On  the  25th,  Johnston  replied,  and,  on 
the  26th,  the  surrender  of  the  rebel  army  was  made  in  an 
interview  between  Sherman  and  Johnston  at  Durham 
Station.  It  included  every  thing  east  of  the  Chatta- 
hoochee  River  not  previously  surrendered  by  Lee,  Then, 


HISTOBY  OF  THE  GEEAT  REBELLION.  1187 

the  articles  being  signed,  the  Lieutenant-General  inter- 
vened to  put  his  approval  upon  them.  Over  fifty  miles 
of  territory  lay  between  the  two  main  armies,  the  picket 
lines,  however,  closely  approaching.  Johnston's  force 
was  collected  nearly  as  far  back  as  Greensboro',  and  at 
this  latter  point,  therefore,  the  paroling  took  place.  The 
number  of  men  surrendered  and  paroled  was  in  the 
neighborhood  of  twenty-five  thousand.  One  hundred 
and  eight  pieces  of  artillery  were  parked,  with  limbers, 
caissons,  &c.,  complete  ;  little  ammunition  was  captured. 
About  fifteen  thousand  small-arms  were  given  up.  More 
than  ten  thousand  men  strayed  off  with  their  guns  and 
horses,  mules,  or  wagons.  There  was  no  discipline  in  the 
army  at  the  end,  and  Johnston  was  said  not  to  have 
been  responsible  for  the  marching  away  of  his  men  with- 
out parole.  The  same  thing  happened,  also,  in  the  parol- 
ing of  Lee's  army. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1864,  General  James  H.  "Wilson, 
who  had  gained  a  reputation  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
as  an  able  cavalry  officer,  was  dispatched  to  Nashville  to 
reorganize  that  branch  of  the  service  in  the  West.  Hav- 
ing accomplished  this  duty,  he  was  directed  to  concen- 
trate a  force  at  Waterloo  and  Gravelly  Springs,  on  the 
Tennessee,  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  Alabama,  with 
the  view  of  undertaking  in  the  spring  an  expedition 
through  Alabama  and  Southern  Georgia,  a  region  never 
yet  penetrated  by  Union  troops,  and  which  furnished 
large  quantities  of  food  and  munitions  to  the  rebel  armies. 
This  was  intended  as  an  auxiliary  movement  in  support 
of  the  operations  against  Lee  and  Johnston  in  the  East. 
On  the  22d  of  March,  Wilson  broke  up  his  camp,  and,  at 
the  head  of  twelve  thousand  cavalry,  accompanied  by 
three  horse-batteries  and  a  pontoon  train,  took  up  his 
march  for  Elytown,  in  Central  Alabama.  The  general 
command  of  the  rebel  troops  in  Alabama  and  Mississippi 
was  then  held  by  General  Dick  Taylor,  who,  however, 
being  needed  at  Mobile,  had  left  Forrest  at  Tupelo  with 
a  body  of  cavalry  to  guard  against  such  raids  as  Wilson 
was  about  to  undertake.  Forrest  finally  assumed  com- 
mand of  all  Northern  and  Middle  Mississippi  and  Ala- 
bama, and  set  vigorously  to  work  to  reorganize  the  cav- 
alry in  his  department.  But  it  was  beyond  the  power  of 
even  so  energetic  a  commander  as  he  to  infuse  life  into 


1188  HISTORY   OF   THE  GREAT   REBELLION. 

the  torpid  body  of  the  rebellion ;  and  notwithstanding  he 
issued  orders  declaring  that  illegal  organizations  of  cav- 
alry must  be  placed  regularly  in  the  service  or  leave  the 
country,  the  border  swarmed  with  roving  bands  of  desert- 
ers, stragglers,  horse-thieves,  and  robbers,  whose  acts  of 
lawlessness  and  crime  put  a  stop  to  travel,  and  made  life 
and  property  alike  insecure. 

Wilson  proceeded  without  interruption  as  far  as  Ely- 
town,  whence  he  moved  due  south  upon  Selma,  where  he 
arrived  on  April  2d.  Between  Elytown  and  Selma  there 
had  been  considerable  skirmishing  with  Roddy's  rebel 
cavalry,  which  fell  back  towards  the  latter  place,  where 
Taylor  and  Forrest  had  concentrated  all  their  available 
troops  behind  substantial  works.  These  consisted  of  a 
heavy  line  of  earthworks,  eight  to  twelve  feet  in  height, 
and  fifteen  feet  thick  at  base,  with  a  ditch  in  front,  partly 
filled  with  water,  four  feet  in  width  and  five  feet  deep, 
and  in  front  of  this  a  stockade,  or  pickets  of  heavy  posts, 
planted  firmly  in  the  ground,  five  feet  high,  and  sharp- 
ened at  the  top.  Four  heavy  forts,  with  artillery  in 
position,  also  covered  the  ground  over  which  the  men 
were  to  advance ;  the  ground  was  rough,  and  a  deep 
ravine  had  to  be  passed  before  the  works  could  be  reached. 
After  a  brief  reconnoissance,  one  division,  under  General 
Long,  was  directed  to  attack  on  the  right  of  the  Summer- 
ville  road,  while  another,  under  General  Upton,  was  to 
move  to  the  Plantersville  road,  penetrate  a  swamp  at  a 
point  regarded  impassable  by  the  enemy,  and  attack  just 
after  dark.  But  before  Upton  could  get  into  position, 
the  rebel  General  Chalmers  having  attacked  Long's 
picket,  posted  on  the  creek  to  cover  his  rear,  Long,  with- 
out waiting  for  the  signal  designated,  immediately  began 
the  attack  with  two  dismounted  regiments  from  each  bri- 
gade, numbering  in  all  but  one  thousand  one  hundred  and 
sixty  men ;  Long  himself,  together  with  his  brigade  com- 
manders, gallantly  leading  the  charge.  Rushing  over 
five  hundred  yards  of  open  field,  swept  by  musketry  and 
'  artillery,  the  intrepid  assailants,  leaping  and  tearing  up 
the  stockade,  pushed  through  the  ditch,  and  over  the 
parapet,  in  a  sudden  and  irresistible  tide.  The  foe, 
though  outnumbering  the  assailants,  everywhere  suc- 
cumbed, or  fled.  Nothing  seemed  able  to  stand  before  an 
onset  of  such  swift  and  determined  vigor.  On  parts  of 


HISTOEY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  1189 

the  line,  indeed,  and  for  a  moment,  the  enemy  fought 
^stubbornly,  with  clubbed  guns,  but  in  vain.  Upton's 
Division,  finding  the  works  carried  by  Long's  Division, 
immediately  advanced  from  its  position  on  the  Planters- 
yille  road,  the  skirmish  line,  driving  the  enemy  and  cap- 
turing five  guns.  Winslow's  Brigade  then  charged  into 
the  city  in  various  directions,  capturing  several  pieces  of 
artillery  and  several  hundred  prisoners.  In  vain  did  the 
enemy  attempt  to  rally  behind  an  inner  line  of  works ; 
they  were  overpowered  and  captured  by  hundreds,  and 
night  alone  enabled  Forrest,  with  about  half  his  force, 
to  make  a  precipitate  retreat.  General  Taylor  had  left  at 
three  P.  M.  by  the  railroad  for  Mobile.  Two  thousand 
seven  hundred  prisoners,  including  one  hundred  and  fifty 
officers,  twenty-six  field-guns  and  one  thirty-pound  Par- 
rott  in  position,  and  about  seventy  heavy  guns,  besides 
large  quantities  of  military  stores  in  the  arsenal  and 
foundery,  fell  into  Wilson's  hands  at  Selma.  Immedi- 
ately the  work  of  destruction  commenced,  and  in  a  brief 
time  all  the  immense  government  works,  arsenal,  rolling- 
mills,  founderies,  factories,  munitions  of  war,  ordnance 
and  subsistence  stores,  and  other  material,  were  in  ruins. 
On  the  10th,  "Wilson  resumed  his  march,  and  on  the 
14th  occupied  Montgomery  without  resistance.  This,  it 
will  be  remembered,  was  the  capital  of  the  now  fast- 
crumbling  "  Confederacy,"  in  the  early  days  of  the  rebel- 
lion. On  the  16th,  West  Point,  on  the  Chattahoochee, 
was  captured  by  Lagrange's  Brigade,  after  a  desperate 
resistance  by  the  small  rebel  garrison,  and  on  the  same 
day  the  main  body  reached  the  important  city  of  Colum- 
bus, Georgia,  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Chatta- 
hoochee, and  defended  by  two  thousand  seven  hundred 
infantry,  behind  .strong  earthworks.  The  onset  of  the 
Union  troops  was  irresistible,'  and  by  ten  p.  M.  the  city, 
with  its  vast  munitions  of  war,  one  thousand  five  hun- 
dred prisoners,  and  twenty-four  pieces  of  artillery,  was  in 
our  possession.  This  victory  was  the  closing  conflict  of 
the  war,  and  was  gained  with  a  Union  loss  of  not  above 
thirty.  Long's  Division,  under  Colonel  Minty,  now  took 
the  advance,  and  moved  towards  Macon,  within  a  short 
distance  of  which  place  he  was  met  by  a  flag  of  truce, 
with  a  dispatch  from  General  Howell  Cobb,  in  command 
there,  announcing  an  armistice  between  Sherman  and 


1190  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 

Johnston.  Suspecting,  from  the  manner  of  the  rebels, 
that  this  was  only  an  expedient  to  gain  time,  Minty 
pushed  rapidly  forward,  and  reached  Macon  just  in  time 
to  save  the  fine  bridge  across  the  Ocmulgee,  which  the 
rebels  were  about  to  fire.  The  city  and  defences  were  at 
once  surrendered  by  Cobb.  The  captures  comprised  five 
general  officers,  viz.,  Major-Generals  Cobb  and  Gustavus 
W.  Smith,  and  Brigadier-Generals  Mackall,  Robertson, 
and  Mercer,  together  with  forty-five  other  officers,  and 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-three  enlisted  men, 
and  sixty  pieces  of  artillery. 

Thus,  in  thirty  days,  Wilson's  command  had  marched 
five  hundred  miles,  part  of  the  distance  over  an  exceed- 
ingly difficult  country,  had  captured  two  hundred  and 
forty  pieces  of  artillery,  of  all  calibers,  and  six  thousand 
three  hundred  prisoners,  and  destroyed  cotton  and  public 
property  to  the  value  of  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars. 
It  was  undoubtedly  the  most  brilliant  and  important  raid 
of  the  war. 

In  the  foregoing  pages  we  have  related  the  history  of 
the  attempts  which  the  rebels  made,  by  force  of  arms,  in 
the  open  field,  to  resist  and  overthrow  the  power  of  the 
General  Government.  It  now  becomes  necessary  to  al- 
lude to  other  means  employed  by  them  to  effect  the  same 
end,  which  were  directly  sanctioned  by  the  rebel  govern- 
ment, and  over  which  humanity  would  wish  to  drop  the 
veil  of  oblivion.  But  as  an  impartial  narrator  of  events, 
the  writer  of  these  pages  could  no  more  avoid  an  allusion 
to  this  subject  than  he  could  omit  any  of  the  prominent 
occurrences  of  the  war  previously  related.  Without  such 
allusion  the  History  of  the  Great  Rebellion  would  be  in- 
complete. If  acts  like  the  destruction  of  unarmed  mer- 
chantmen on  the  high  seas,  or  the  massacre  of  the  garrison 
of  Fort  Pillow,  may  be  excused  as  necessarily  growing 
out  of  a  state  of  warfare,  it  will  scarcely  be  pretended 
that  the  deliberate  destruction  of  prisoners  by  starvation, 
neglect,  or  ill  treatment,  the  burning  of  peaceful  cities 
far  removed  from  the  seat  of  war,  by  disguised  emissaries, 
the  introduction  of  pestilence,  or  the  piratical  seizure  of 
vessels  and  the  murder  of  their  officers,  are  legitimate 
means  of  conducting  war.  They  were,  however,  each 
and  all  resorted  to  by  the  rebel  authorities,  as  we  shall 
briefly  narrate. 


HISTOKY   OF  THE   GREAT  REBELLION.  1191 

For  upwards  of  a  year  after  the  commencement  of  the 
•war,  there  was  no  regular  system  in  operation  for  the 

feneral  exchange  of  the  prisoners  captured  on  either  side, 
'inally,  in  the  summer  of  1862,  a  cartel  was  signed  for 
the  equitable  exchange  of  prisoners,  man  for  man,  and 
officer  for  officer,  and  for  the  paroling  of  prisoners  within 
ten  days  after  their  capture.  This  remained  in  force  until 
the  succeeding  summer,  when  difficulties  occurred,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  loose  manner  in  which  the  rebel  authori- 
ties interpreted  the  cartel,  which  threatened  its  permanent 
interruption.  By  this  time  the  colored  regiments  of  the 
National  Army  had  begun  to  participate  in  the  war,  and 
the  officers  and  privates  of  these  regiments  captured  by 
the  enemy  were,  in  accordance  with  a  resolution  of  the 
rebel  Congress,  withheld  from  exchange,  and  reserved 
for  special  punishment.  After  much  acrimonious  corre- 
spondence, the  rebel  Commissioner  of  Exchanges,  Mr. 
Ould,  proposed  in  the  latter  part  of  October,  that  all 
officers  and  men,  on  both  sides,  should  be  released,  in  con- 
formity with  the  provisions  of  the  cartel,  the  excess  on 
the  one  side  or  the  other  to  be  on  parole.  This  proposi- 
tion was  rejected  by  General  Meredith,  the  Union  Com- 
missioner, for  the  reason,  among  others,  that  the  officers 
and  privates  of  the  colored  regiments,  not  being  recog- 
nized by  the  rebels  as  prisoners  of  war,  would  not  be 
delivered  by  them  with  the  other  prisoners.  The  rebels 
had  also  shown  bad  faith  in  declaring  exchanged,  before 
the  right  to  do  so  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  the 
cartel  had  accrued  to  them,  most  of  the  prisoners  paroled 
by  Grant  and  Banks  at  Vicksburg  and  Port  Hudson. 
And  as  at  the  close  of  the  year  we  had  in  our  possession 
about  forty  thousand  rebel  prisoners  against  thirteen 
thousand  of  our  men  in  rebel  prisons,  it  was  justly  con- 
sidered hazardous  to  permit  the  rebels  to  have  the  control 
of  so  large  an  excess  as  twenty-seven  thousand  men. 
Thenceforth  exchanges  ceased,  except  in  a  few  special 
instances,  and  prisoners  began  to  accumulate  in  large 
numbers  on  either  side. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1863  complaints  began  to  be  made 
of  the  treatment  to  which  Union  prisoners  were  subjected 
in  rebel  prisons.  In  those  at  Richmond,  the  mortality 
at  certain  periods  reached  fifty  a  day — a  rate  which,  in 
the  opinion  of  exchanged  Union  surgeons,  was  altogether 


1192  HISTORY   OF   THE  GEEAT  REBELLION. 

unprecedented,  and  arose  from  neglect,  insufficient  food 
and  clothing,  and  similar  causes.  In  reply  the  rebels 
alleged  that  Union  prisoners  were  placed  on  an  equality, 
in  respect  to  rations  and  clothing,  with  their  own  men, 
and  that  they  did  not  receive  the  comforts  which  might 
reasonably  have  been  expected,  simply  because  it  was  not 
in  the  power  of  the  Confederate  government  to  give  them. 
But  this  excuse,  urged  strenuously  by  the  rebels  and  their 
friends,  and  half  accepted  by  every  one  disposed  to  be 
moderate  and  just,  accounted  for  only  a  small  part  of  the 
conduct  of  the  rebels  to  their  captives.  The  latter  were 
crowded  in  city  warehouses  of  far  too  limited  dimensions 
to  lodge  them  with  any  approximation  to  comfort,  or 
compelled  to  endure  the  rigors  of  winter  in  open  encamp- 
ments. They  were  almost  invariably  stripped  of  their 
private  property,  even  to  the  clothing  on  their  backs  at 
the  time  of  their  capture,  and  the  supplies  of  food  and 
clothing,  which,  after  much  negotiation,  they  were  per- 
mitted to  receive  from  the  North,  were,  in  many  in- 
stances, stolen  or  withheld.  The  rations  issued  to  them 
were  frequently  of  the  moBt  execrable  description,  and 
barely  sufficient  to  sustain  life.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
rebels  captured  in  war  were,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  men 
in  fine  physical  condition,  well  clad,  and  giving  abundant 
evidence  of  having  been  well  fed ;  while  the  few  Union 
prisoners  from  time  to  time  exchanged,  exhibited  s,uch 
frightful  evidences  of  suffering  and  privation,  that  photo- 
graphic representations  of  their  appearance  were  taken, 
in  order  that  the  accounts  of  their  condition  might  not 
Beem  overdrawn.  The  allegation  of  the  rebel  govern- 
ment, that  it  was  embarrassed  for  want  of  supplies,  that 
its  own  soldiers  were  naked  and  hungry,  and  that  even 
the  prison-guards  shared  the  privations  of  the  prisoners, 
must  therefore  be  dismissed  as  utterly  unfounded. 

A  few  months  later  the  rebels  threw  off  even  this  tnin 
disguise,  and  in  terms  too  plain  to  be  mistaken  announced 
by  their  acts  their  intention  to  systematically  destroy 
their  prisoners,  for  the  purpose,  apparently,  of  relieving 
themselves  of  the  charge  of  such  persons,  and  of  thereby 
lessening  the  number  of  their  enemies.  As  if  the  Libby 
Prison  and  Belle  Isle  at  Richmond  were  not  sufficient, 
refinements  in  cruelty  were  attempted,  and  at  Charlotte 
and  Salisbury  in  North  Carolina,  and  Millen  and  Ander- 


HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION.  1193 

sonville  in  Georgia,  prison-pens  were  erected,  in  which 
tens  of  thousands  of  Union  prisoners  were  deliberately 
starved  to  death  or  destroyed  by  neglect  and  ill  usage. 
The  last-named  place,  in  particular,  has  obtained  a  hide- 
ous reputation,  and  to  the  wretches  who  entered  its  pre- 
cincts must  have  occurred  the  idea  contained  in  Dante's 
inscription  over  the  gates  of  Hell,  "Who  enters  here 
must  leave  all  hope  behind."  It  comprised  an  open  space 
of  about  twenty-nve  acres,  and  was  surrounded  by  a  high 
stockade,  and  by  earthworks  mounted  with  cannon. 
About  one  quarter  of  the  enclosure  was  occupied  by  a 
swamp,  through  which  crept  a  shallow  muddy  stream,  or 
rather  sewer,  which  had  previously  received  the  filth  and 
refuse  of  a  rebel  camp  beyond,  and  which  formed  the 
only  supply  of  water  to  the  prisoners.  Here,  in  a  country 
BO  covered  with  woods  as  to  be  nearly  a  forest,  were  fre- 
quently crowded  thirty  thousand  men,  with  not  so  much 
as  a  simple  shed  to  protect  them  from  the  rain,  or  the 
heat,  or  the  cold.  The  unfortunate  prisoners  found  a 
partial  shelter  by  burrowing  in  the  earth  like  wild  ani- 
mals, and  upon  the  occupation  of  the  place  by  the  Union 
forces,  the  ground  was  discovered  to  be  completely  honey- 
combed by  their  digging.  The  details  of  the  life  which 
prisoners  passed  in  this  place  would  prove  too  sickening 
to  our  readers,  and  we  willingly  omit  them.  Probably 
more  of  the  men  admitted  there  died  than  left  the 
prison,  and  of  the  latter  class  most  will  bear  about  them 
for  life  the  marks  of  the  privations  which  they  there  en- 
dured. In  a  memorial  addressed  to  President  Lincoln  in 
August,  1864,  by  Union  officers  confined  in  Charleston, 
occurs  the  following  passage  with  reference  to  the  Ander- 
son ville  prisoners :  "  They  are  fast  losing  hope  and  be- 
coming utterly  reckless  of  life.  Numbers,  crazed  by  their 
sufferings,  wander  about  in  a  state  of  idiocy.  Others 
deliberately  cross  the  '  Dead  Line '  and  are  remorselessly 
shot  down. 

As  accounts  of  the  atrocities  practised  upon  Union 
prisoners  at  Andersonville  were  made  public  by  those 
persons  who  were  fortunate  to  escape  from  the  prison 
alive,  a  feeling  of  horror  pervaded  the  North,  and  in  the 
opinion  of  many  persons  their  statements  were  too  dread- 
ful to  believe.  It  was  assumed  that  they  must  be  greatly 
exaggerated,  and  that  the  rebel  authorities  were  ignorant 


1194  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT  EEBELLION. 

of  the  atrocities  alleged  to  be  committed  there.  Fortu- 
nately we  are  enabled  to  verify  by  rebel  evidence  the 
condition  of  things  at  Andersonville  and  the  infamous 
purpose  of  General  J.  H.  Winder,  the  commanding  officer 
in  charge  of  the  post.  Some  months  after  the  termina- 
tion of  the  war,  Captain  Henry  Wirz,  a  subordinate, 
having  immediate  command  of  the  prison,  was  arraigned 
before  a  military  court  in*Washington  for  wanton  and  un- 
necessary cruelty  to  his  prisoners.  The  facts  we  have 
stated  above  were  corroborated  by  many  Union  soldiers, 
summoned  as  witnesses;  but  more  valuable  testimony, 
considering  the  source  from  which  it  emanated,  was  given 
by  Colonel  D.  T.  Chandler,  formerly  an  inspector-general 
in  the  rebel  service.  The  following  is  an  extract  from 
an  official  report  from  this  officer,  addressed  to  Colonel 
Chilton  at  Richmond,  under  date  of  August  5,  1864  : — 

"My  duty  requires  me  respectfully  to  recommend  a  change  in  tlie  officer 
in  command  of  the  post,  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Winder,  and  the  substitu- 
tion in  his  place  of  some  one  who  unites  both  energy  and  good  judgment 
with  some  feelings  of  humanity  and  consideration  for  the  welfare  and  com- 
fort (so  far  as  is  consistent  with  their  safe  keeping)  of  the  vast  number  of 
unfortunates  placed  under  his  control ;  some  one  who,  at  least,  does  not  ad- 
vocate deliberately  and  in  cold  blood  the  propriety  of  leaving  them  in  their 
present  condition  until  their  number  has  been  sufficiently  reduced  by  death 
to  make  the  present  arrangements  suffice  for  their  accommodation ;  who 
will  not  consider  it  a  matter  of  self-laudation,  boasting  that  he  has  never 
been  inside  the  stockade — a  place  the  horrors  of  which  it  is  difficult  to  de- 
scribe, and  which  is  a  disgrace  to  civilization — the  condition  of  which  he 
might,  by  the  exercise  of  a  little  energy  and  judgment,  even  w^th  the 
limited  means  at  his  command,  have  considerably  improved." 

Colonel  Chandler,  upon  being  called  to  the  stand,  veri- 
>  fied  the  foregoing  report,  adding  that  he  had%nothing  to 
retract ;  and  stating  that  during  his  inspection  he  had  a 
conversation  with  General  Winder,  who  seemed  very  in- 
different to  the  welfare  of  the  prisoners,  and  was  indis- 
posed to  do  any  thing.  He  remonstrated  with  General 
Winder  as  'well  as  he  could.  He  spoke  to  him  "of  the 
great  mortality,  and  suggested  that,  as  the  sickly  season 
was  coming  on,  the  swamp  should  be  drained,  better  food 
famished,  and  other  sanitary  measures  adopted.  Winder 
replied  to  him  that  he  thought  it  would  be  better  to  let 
one-half  die,  so  they  could  take  care  of  the  remainder. 
His  (Chandler's)  assistant,  Major  Hall,  had  previously 
reported  that  Winder  had  made  a  similar  expression  to 


HISTOKY   OF  THE   GEEAT  KEBELLION.  1195 

him ;  and  upon  Chandler's  remarking  that  he  thought  this 
incredible,  Hall  said  Winder  had  repeated  that  expression 
to  him  several  times. 

This  certainly  shows  that  the  rebel  government  in 
Richmond  was  made  officially  cognizant  of  the  barbarities 
committed  at  Andersonville ;  and  as  the  condition  of  the 
prisoners  at  Belle  Isle  had  been  so  immediately  under 
their  eyes  that  ignorance  could  not  possibly  be  pleaded, 
the  conclusion  seems  inevitable  that  they  deliberately 
approved  of  the  measures  adopted  by  the  commanding 
officers  at  both  places.  Finally,  in  November,  1864,  the 
general  exchange,  interrupted  in  the  previous  year,  was 
resumed,  and  the  survivors  of  the  rebel  prison-pens  re- 
leased from  their  sufferings.  In  contrast  with  the  treat- 
ment  of  Union  prisoners  was  that  accorded  to  captured 
rebels.  They  were  comfortably  housed  and  clad,  drew 
abundant  rations,  and,  when  sick  or  wounded,  received 
no  less  kind  treatment  than  our  own  soldiers.  To  both 
Union  men  and  rebels  were  also  extended  the  beneficent 
offices  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  and  the  Christian 
Commission,  two  noble  private  philanthropic  associations, 
whose  expenditures  amounted  to  many  millions,  and 
whose  agents  were  found  in  every  camp  and  hospital, 
and  on  every  battle-field  of  the  war,  supplying  to  the  sick 
and  wounded  the  numberless  little  delicacies  and  com- 
forts which  the  Government,  amid  the  multiplicity  of 
cares,  could  not  well  furnish,  and  affording  by  their  acts 
a  proof  of  the  humanizing  influences  of  free  institutions. 
In  contrast  with  this,  the  conduct  of  the  rebels  to  their 
prisoners  illustrates  once  more  the  barbarizing  influences 
of  slavery! 

Soon  after  the  commencement  of  hostilities  in  1861  the 
Canadian  provinces  began  to  be  a  resort  for  rebel  refugees, 
who  gradually  accumulated  in  Quebec,  Montreal,  and 
other  cities,  in  large  numbers.  Among  these  men  were 
some  of  the  most  wily  and  determined  enemies  of  the 
Union  whom  secession  had  begotten,  and  their  presence 
so  near  our  Northern  frontier  was  felt  to  be  full  of  danger, 
as  it  was  known  they  were  prepared  for  any  desperate 
enterprise.  Their  leaders,  George  N.  Sanders,  Beverly 
Tucker,  Jacob  Thompson,  and  men  of  like  proclivities, 
spared  no  efforts  to  organize  plots  against  the  United 
States,  in  defiance  of  the  neutrality  of  the  country  in 


1196  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION. 

which  they  resided,  and,  strange  to  say,  the  local  authori- 
ties seemed  indifferent  to  these  attempts  to  abuse  the 
right  of  asylum.  In  the  latter  part  of  1863  a  plot  was 
set  on  foot  by  Sanders  and  his  associates,  under  instruc- 
tions from  the  government  at  Richmond,  to  release 
twenty-five  hundred  rebel  officers  imprisoned  on  John- 
son's Island,  in  Lake  Erie,  who,  in  conjunction  with  a 
body  of  rebels  in  Canada,  were  to  attack  and  destroy  Buf- 
falo and  other  lake  cities.  The  American  Consul-General 
at  Montreal,  having  received  timely  notice  of  this  plot,  laid 
the  details  before  the  Governor-General  of  Canada,  by 
whom  they  were  communicated  on  November  llth  to 
the  United  States  Government.  The  prompt  measures 
taken  by  the  latter  td  guard  against  the  danger  prevented 
th»  execution  of  the  plot.  The  British  Government, 
however,  seems  to  have  taken  no  measures  to  arrest  and 
punish  the  participators  in  this  transaction.  Bat  though 
baffled  in  this  attempt,  the  secessionists  in  Canada  relaxed 
in  no  degree  their  efforts  to  harass  the  border  towns  of 
the  United  States.  On  the  afternoon  of  October  19, 
1864,  a  body  of  forty  well-armed  men,  headed  by  one 
Young,  suddenly  attacked  the  village  of  St.  Albans,  in 
Yermont,  fifteen  miles  from  the  Canadian  frontier,  and, 
after  robbing  the  banks  of  over  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  and  firing  upon  the  defenceless  and  thoroughly 
astounded  inhabitants,  one  of  whom  was  mortally 
wounded,  rode  off  to  Canada,  where  nearly  the  whole 
gang  was  subsequently  arrested.  They  were  brought 
before  the  Court  of  Quarter  Sessions  at  Montreal,  and 
discharged  by  Justice  Coursol  on  the  ground  of  a  want 
of  jurisdiction.  Subsequently,  on  being  tried  before  the 
Superior  Court  of  Lower  Canada,  they  were  all  dis- 
charged. The  St.  Albans  banks  recovered  a  portion  of 
the  money  stolen  from  them,  but  the  United  States 
Government  received  no  reparation  for  this  incursion 
upon  their  territory  from  a  friendly  state. 

In  September,  1864,  John  Y.  Beall,  an  officer  in  the 
rebel  army,  organized  in  Canada  a  force  for  the  purpose 
of  a  raid  on  the  lakes,  and  succeeded  in  capturing  and 
destroying  two  steamboats  owned  by  citizens  of  the  United 
States.  In  the  succeeding  December  he  was  arrested  near 
the  suspension  bridge  over  the  Niagara  River,  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  for  attempting  to  tnrow  a  passenger  train 


HISTOKY   OF  THE   GKEAT  REBELLION.  1197 

from  Buffalo  off  the  railroad  track,  which  act  he  claimed 
to  have  perpetrated  by  virtue  of  his  commission  from  the 
rebel  government.  He  was  tried  and  executed  as  a  pirate, 
spy,  and  murderer,  on  Governor's  Island,  New  York,  on 
February  24th,  1865. 

As  if  the  attempt  to  rob  defenceless  towns,  and  murder 
their  inhabitants,  or  to  throw  railroad  trains  off  the  track, 
were  not  sufficiently  infamous,  the  Canadian  refugees  now 
organized-  a  plot  to  fire  the  principal  hotels  of  the  city  of 
New  York.  The  attempt  was  made  on  the  night  of  No- 
vember 25th,  and,  if  successful,  might  have  resulted  in  a 
frightful  sacrifice  of  property  and  life  ;  but,  fortunately,  it 
was  committed  to  timid  and  unskilful  hands,  and  the  fires 
kindled  by  them  were  soon  extinguished.  Captain  Robert 
C.  Kennedy,  of  the  rebel  service,  was  subsequently  arrest- 
ed in  Detroit  for  complicity  in  this  plot,  and  was  tried  and 
executed  at  Fort  Lafayette,  in  New  York  Harbor,  on  March 
24th,  1865. 

Similar  to  the  exploit  of  Beall  on  the  lakes  was  that  of 
a  party  of  disguised  rebels,  who,  embarking  on  the  pas- 
senger steamer  Chesapeake,  at  New  York,  on  December 
19th,  1863,  murdered  one  of  the  officers,  and  carried  the 
vessel  into  a  Nova  Scotian  port.  She  was  subsequently 
restored  to  her  owners,  but  her  piratical  captors,  like  so 
many  of  their  associates  in  British  America,  went  un- 
whipped  of  justice.  Finally,  to  cap  the  climax  of  horrors, 
we  have  to  record  the  attempt,  fortunately  abortive,  of  a 
Dr.  Blackburn,  to  introduce  into  the  United  States  the 
yellow  fever,  by  means  of  infected  clothing  brought  from 
Bermuda.  This,  like  the  other  acts  just  related,  was  done 
in  the  interest  of  the  rebel  Confederacy,  by  men  claiming 
to  act  as  Confederate  soldiers,  and  indicated  a  lack  of 
moral  principle,  which,  for  the  sake  of  civilization,  it  is  to 
be  hoped  was  rare  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  seceded 
States,  or  their  sympathizers. 


1198  HISTORY   OF  THE   GREAT   REBELLION. 


CHAPTER   LXXYII. 

Peace  Negotiations  at  Foftress  Monroe. — Their  Fruitless  Issue. — Second 
Inauguration  of  Lincoln. — His  Address. — Rejoicings  at  the  Prospect  of 
Peace. — Assassination  of  Lincoln. — The  Public  Mourning. — Funeral  Pro- 
cession.— Character  of  Lincoln. — Booth,  the  Murderer,  Pursued  and  Shot. 
— Trial  and  Execution  of  his  Accomplices. — Inauguration  of  Andrew 
Johnson  as  President. — Amnesty  Proclamation. — Plan  for  Reconstruction. 
— Pursuit  and  Capture  of  Davis. — Capitulation  of  Generals  Taylor  and 
Kirby  Smith. — Termination  of  the  War  and  Disbanding  of  the  Armies. — 
The  National  Debt. — Concluding  Reflections. 

WITH  the  opening  of  1865,  the  air  was  filled,  as  it  had 
been  often  before,  with  rumors  that  the  rebels  were  anxious 
to  negotiate  for  peace,  and  in  order  that  no  opportunity 
might  be  lost  to  effect  a  consummation  so  devoutly  wished 
for  by  all  classes  of  the  people,  Mr.  Lincoln  authorized 
Secretary  Seward  to  proceed  to  Fortress  Monroe,  and  there 
confer  with  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  of  Georgia,  the  rebel 
Vice-President,  R.  M.  T.  Hunter,  of  Virginia,  and  J.  A. 
Campbell,  of  Alabama,  who  had  been  designated  by  Jeffer- 
son Davis  as  commissioners  to  act  in  behalf  of  the  Con- 
federacy. The  Presi4ent's  instructions  were  conveyed  to 
Mr.  Seward  in  the  following  terms : — 

"  EXECUTIVE  MANSION,  WASHINGTON,  ) 
i  January  31,  1865.  J 

"  Hon.  WILLIAJIH.  SEWARD,  Secretary  of  State : 

"  You  will  proce'ed  to  Fortress  Monroe,  Virginia,  there  to  meet  and  infor- 
mally confer  with  Messrs.  Stephens,  Hunter,  and  Campbell,  on  the  basis  of 
my  letter  to  F.  P.  Blair,  Esq.,  of  January  18,  1865,  a  copy  of  which  you 
have.  You  will  make  known  to  them  that  three  things  are  indispensable, 
to  wit :  First,  the  restoration  of  the  national  authority  throughout  all  the 
States.  Second,  no  receding  by  the  Executive  of  the  United  States,  on  the 
slavery  question,  from  the  position  assumed  thereon  in  the  late  annual  mes- 
sage to  Congress,  and  in  the  preceding  documents.  Third,  no  cessation  of 
hostilities  short  of  an  end  of  the  war,  and  the  disbanding  of  all  the  forces  hos- 
tile to  the  Government.  You  will  inform  them  that  all  propositions  of  theirs 
not  inconsistent  with  the  above,  will  be  considered  and  passed  upon  in  a  spirit 
of  sincere  liberality.  You  will  hear  all  they  may  choose  to  say,  and  report  it  to 
me.  You  will  not  assume  to  definitely  consummate  any  thing.  Yours,  &c., 

"ABRAHAM  LINCOLN." 

On  February  2d,  the  President  himself  left  for  Fortress 
Monroe,  and  on  the  succeeding  day  had  an  interview  of 
several  hours'  duration  with  the  rebel  commissioners  on 
board  of  a  steamer  anchored  in  Hampton  Roads.  The 


HISTORY   OF   THE   GKEAT  REBELLION.  1199 

conference  was  altogether  informal,  but  enough  was  de- 
veloped to  show  that  the  rebels  would  enter  into  no  nego- 
tiations for  peace,  without  first  obtaining  a  recognition 
of  their  independence.  "What  the  insurgent  party 
seemed  chiefly  to  favor,"  said  Mr.  Seward  in  a  dispatch 
to  the  American  minister  in  London,  "  was  a  postpone- 
ment of  the  question  of  separation  upon  which  the  war  is 
waged,  and  a  mutual  direction  of  the  efforts  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, as  well  as  those  of  the  insurgents,  to  some  ex- 
trinsic policy  or  scheme  for  a  season,  during  which  pas- 
sions might  be  expected  to  subside,  and  the  armies  be  re- 
duced, and  trade  and  intercourse  between  the  people  of 
both  sections  be  resumed."  This  was  immediately  reject- 
ed by  the  President,  who  further  declared  that  "  the  com- 
plete restoration  of  the  national  authority  everywhere, 
was  an  indispensable  condition  of  any  assent,  on  our  part, 
to  whatever  form  of  peace  might  be  proposed."  The 
conference,  accordingly,  came  to  an  end  by  mutual  agree- 
ment, without  accomplishing  any  thing. 

In  February,  1865,  the  electoral  vote  for  President  was 
officially  announced  to  be,  for  Lincoln,  two  hundred  and 
twelve,  for  McClellan,  twenty-one.  Andrew  Johnson 
was  also  announced  to  have  received  two  hundred  and 
twelve  votes  for  Yice-President.  On  March  4th,  Mr. 
Lincoln  was,  for  the  second  time,  inaugurated  President, 
receiving  the  oath  of  office  from  Chief-Justice  Chase,  the 
late  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  who  had  been  appointed 
to  succeed  Taney  on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

The  new  cabinet  was  almost  identical  with  the  old,  the 
only  important  change  being  the  substitution  of  Hugh 
McCulloch  as  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  for  Mr.  Fessen- 
den,  who  resumed  his  place  in  the  Senate. 

On  the  evening  of  April  14th  (Good-Friday),  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, in  compliance  with  the  request  of  the  proprietor, 
visited  Ford's  Theatre  in  "Washington.  Preocupied  as  he 
was  with  public  duties  and  questions  of  future  policy,  he 
felt  little  inclination  to  go;  but  as  the  announcement 
that  he  would  be  present  had  been  made  public,  he  deter- 
mined, rather  then  disappoint  the  audience,  to  conquer 
his  reluctance  and  give  an  hour  or  two  to  relaxation.  In 
the  midst  of  the  performance,  while  sitting  in  the  Presi- 
dential box,  which  adjoins  the  stage,  in  company  with 
his  wife  and  two  friends,  he  was  attacked  by  an  assassin, 


1200  HISTORY   OF   THE  GREAT  EEBELLION. 

who,  bursting  suddenly  upon  him,  shot  him  in  the  back 
of  the  head  with  a  pistol,  and  then,  leaping  upon  the 
stage  and  brandishing  a  dagge?,  shouted,  "Sic  semper 
tyrannis — the  South  is  avenged,"  and  disappeared  into 
the  street.  There,  mounting  a  fleet  horse  which  was 
in  readiness,  he  effected  his  escape  almost  before  the 
astounded  audience  were  aware  of  the  tragedy  that  had 
happened.  Between  the  deed  of  blood  and  the  escape  of 
the  assassin  there  was  not  the  lapse  of  a  minute.  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  conveyed  in  an  unconscious  state  to  a  neigh- 
boring house,  where  he  expired  the  next  morning,  April 
15th,  at  twenty -two  minutes  past  seven  o'clock,  surround- 
ed by  his  Cabinet  and  friends.  The  murderer  was  recog- 
nized, by  several  persons  in  the  audience,  to  be  John 
Wilkes  Booth,  a  member  of  a  distinguished  family  of 
actors,  and  himself  an  actor  of  some  reputation.  On  the 
same  night,  Secretary  Seward,  who  was  then  confined  to 
his  bed  in  a  crippled  condition,  in  consequence  of  hav- 
ing been  thrown  from  his  carriage  a  few  days  previous, 
was  attacked  by  an  assassin,  who  forced  his  way  into  the 
house,  overcame  the  resistance  of  the  attendants,  and, 
after  inflicting  dangerous,  though  fortunately  not  mortal 
wounds  with  a  knife  on  Mr.  Seward  and  his  son  Fred- 
erick, effected  his  escape  into  the  street. 

The  horror  and  alarm  with  which  these  acts  filled  the 
community  cannot  be  adequately  described ;  and,  indeed, 
the  impression  caused  by  them  is  too  recent  to  render  de- 
scription necessary.  The  revulsion  from  unbounded  de- 
light at  the  prospect  of  returning  peace,  to  despair  and 
distrust  of  what  the  future  might  bring  forth,  was  sudden 
and  terrible.  Almost  with  one  accord  the  people  realized 
that  they  had  lost  a  friend  and  a  father,  one  who,  through 
good  report  and  through  evil  report,  amidst  cares  and 
embarrassments  such  as  have  seldom  rested  upon  any 
ruler,  had  borne  himself  with  a  meekness  and  patience,  a 
dignity  and  rectitude,  and  had  exhibited  withal  an  ability 
which  challenged  the  admiration  of  the  world.  Stricken 
down  by  an  assassin's  hand  at  the  moment  when  his  pa- 
tient forbearance  and  unswerving  trust  in  the  result  of  the 
war  for  the  Union  were  about  to  meet  their  reward  from 
a  people  whose  confidence  he  had  already  largely  re- 
ceived, he  passed  more  deeply  into  the  affections  of  his 
countrymen  than  ever  before.  At  once  the  idea  came 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  REBELLION.  1201 

uppermost  to  every  mind  that  the  Southern  rebels,  in 
whose  behalf  Booth  had  professed  to  commit  his  mad  act, 
had  lost  in  Abraham  Lincoln  the  man  who,  of  all  others, 
would  have  dealt  most  tenderly  with  them.  His  large 
and  generous  nature  could  harbor  ill-will  to  no  one — not 
even  to  those  political  opponents  who,  throughout  his 
Administration,  had  spared  no  efforts  to  denounce  and 
misrepresent  him,  and  who  had  even  ridiculed  his  rugged 
features  and  ungainly  form ;  nor  to  the  rebels,  who  had 
exhausted  the  vocabulary  for  coarse  terms  of  abuse  to  ap- 
ply to  him;  and  at  the  moment  when  the  fatal  bullet 
lodged  in  his  brain,  he  stood  before  the  world,  to  use  his 
own  noble  words,  "with  malice  towards  none,  with 
charity  for  all."  A  kindly,  humble,  simple-hearted,  and 
upright  man,  without  learning,  with  little  training  in 
statesmanship,  and  with  no  great  intellectual  endowments, 
he  had  succeeded  in  fulfilling  a  great  public  trust,  partly 
by  the  exercise  of  a  natural  sagacity,  but  chiefly  by  his 
moral  rectitude  and  abiding  trust  in  the  providence  of 
God.  As  the  recollection  of  all  that  he  had  done  and 
suffered  in  behalf  of  that  Union  he  had  sworn  to  maintain 
and  defend,  of  his  endearing  private  traits,  and  even  of 
that  quaint  humor  which  he  assumed  to  drive  away,  for 
the  moment,  the  harassing  cares  of  state,  rose  in  the  pub- 
lic mind,  the  nation  bowed  itself  and  wept.  Such  a  uni- 
versal mourning  had  not  been  known  in  the  memory  of 
living  men :  the  land  seemed  clad  in  the  habiliments  of 
woe. 

At  noon,  on  the  19th  of  April,  his  obsequies  were  cele- 
brated in  the  Executive  Mansion  at  Washington,  in  the 
presence  of  the  chief  civil  and  military  authorities  of  the 
nation ;  and  at  the  same  hour  throughout  the  country  the 
tolling  of  church-bells  and  the  booming  of  minute-guns 
announced  that  the  people  were  participating  in  the 
solemn  ceaemony.  An  imposing  procession  then  escorted 
the  body  to  the  Capitol,  where  it  lay  in  state  until  the 
21st.  It  was  then  conducted  in  one  long  funeral  proces- 
sion, occupying  several  weeks,  through  the  chief  cities  of 
the  Union,  to  its  final  resting-place  in  the  cemetery 
at  Springfield,  Illinois.  It  may  be  added,  that  the  un- 
timely end  of  Mr.  Lincoln  called  forth  in  Europe  express- 
ions of  horror  not  less  vehement  than  those  uttered  by 
his  own  countrymen ;  and  from  all  parts  of  the  civilized 

74 


1202  HISTOEY  OF  THE  GEEAT  REBELLION. 

world  went  up  unfeigned  tributes  of  respect  for  his  virtues 
and  ability. 

Meanwhile  the  Government  was  on  the  alert  to  ar- 
rest the  assassin  and  his  accomplices.  Booth  was  finally 
tracked  to  a  farm-house,  near  Port  Royal,  on  the  Rappa- 
hannock,  where,  refusing  to  be  arrested,  and  fighting  with 
the  desperation  of  a  wild  beast  brought  to  bay,  he  was 
mortally  wounded  on  the  27th,  dying  a  few  hours  after- 
wards. Harrold,  an  accomplice,  was  captured  with  him. 
A  few  days  later  a  man  named  Payne  was  arrested  and 
identified  as  the  assassin  who  had  attempted  the  life  of 
Mr.  Seward.  Other  arrests  followed,  and  on  May  10th, 
David  E.  Harrold,  George  A.  Atzeroth,  Lewjs  Payne, 
Michael  O'Laughlin,  Edward  Spangler,  Samuel  Arnold, 
Mary  E.  Surratt,  and  Samuel  A.  Mudd  were  arraigned 
before  a  military  tribunal,  presided  over  by  General  David 
Hunter,  as  principals  or  accessories  to  the  murder.  After 
a  trial,  lasting  nearly  two  months,  in  the  course  of  which 
the  existence  of  a  plot  to  murder  not  only  Mr.  Lincoln 
and  Mr.  Seward,  but  Yice-President  Johnson,  General 
Grant,  and  others,  was  made  manifest,  Harrold,  Payne, 
Mrs.  Surratt,  and  Atzeroth  were  found  guilty  of  murder, 
and  were  hung  in  Washington  on  the  7th  of  July ;  Mudd, 
Arnold,  and  O'Laughlin  were  sentenced  to  imprisonment 
for  life,  and  Spangler  to  six  years'  imprisonment  at  hard 
labor. 

By  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  the  office  of 
President,  in  the  event  of  the  death  of  the  incumbent,  ole- 
volves  upon  the  person  holding  the  office  of  Yice-Presi- 
dent. Accordingly,  a  few  hours  after  Mr.  Lincoln  had 
breathed  his  last,  the  oath  of  office  was  administered  by 
Chief-Justice  Chase  to  Yice-President  Andrew  Johnson, 
in  the  presence  of  the  Cabinet. 

Of  the  new  chief  magistrate,  thus  unexpectedly  induct- 
ed into  office,  it  scarcely  falls  within  our  province  to 
speak.  His  Administration  belongs  rather  to  the  new 
era  now  dawning  upon  the  country  than  to  that  which 
witnessed  the  rise,  the  progress,  and  the  overthrow  of  the 
Great  Rebellion,  and  of  which  we  have  assumed  to  give 
the  narrative.  He  was  known  to  be  a  man  of  ability, 
energy,  and  integrity,  who,  from  the  commencement  of 
the  rebellion,  had  pronounced  unmistakably  for  the  Union. 
It  was  hoped  and  believed  that  he  would  pursue  the  course 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GKEAT  EEBELLION.  1203 

already  marked  out  by  his  predecessor,  and  although  he 
was  popularly  supposed  to  have  less  of  the  mild  clemency 
for  which  President  Lincoln  was  noted,  that  circumstance 
rather  accorded  than  otherwise  with  the  prevailing  temper 
of  the  people,  whose  hearts,  for  the  time,  were  turned 
away  from  clemency,  and  who  demanded  that  stern  and 
exact  justice  should  be  meted  out  to  the  rebels.  This 
sentiment  gradually  passed  away,  and  the  President  and 
his  Cabinet,  the  same  whom  Mr.  Lincoln  had  selected,  set 
themselves  seriously  to  work  to  reconstruct  loyal  govern- 
ments in  the  States  which  had  attempted  to  form  a  new 
confederacy. 

In  a  former  chapter  we  have  described  how  Davis,  at 
the  approach  of  danger,  hurried  southward,  leaving  to  Lee 
and  his  remnant  of  an  army  the  task  of  defending  the  State 
of  Virginia.  On  the  3d  of  April  he  arrived  in  Danville, 
and  assumed,  with  such  of  his  cabinet  and  officials  as  he 
could  gather  around  him,  to  establish  the  fiction  of  a  gov- 
ernment. He  also  issued  a  proclamation,  announcing  his 
intention  to  hold  on  to  Virginia.  But  the  capitulation  of 
Lee  and  the  threatening  aspect  of  Sherman  and  Stoneman 
counselled  him  to  move  farther  southward,  while  escape 
was  possible.  With  his  fugitive  government  fast  crum- 
bling to  pieces  around  him,  he  still  maintained  an  appear- 
ance of  confidence  and  a  degree  of  assurance  which  deceived 
no  one ;  and  at  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  where  he  re- 
mained several  days,  he  made  a  public  speech,  promising 
soon  to  have  a  larger  army  than  ever  before  in  the  field. 
About  the  25th  of  April  he  left  Charlotte,  alarmed  by  the 
approach  of  Stoneman's  Cavalry,  who  now  became  aware 
that  the  great  head  of  the  rebellion  was  in  their  neighbor- 
hood. Passing  through  Yorkville,  South  Carolina,  with 
a  train  of  several  ambulances  and  a  small  mounted  escort, 
he  entered  Georgia  in  the  beginning  of  May,  and  on  the 
4th  reached  Washington,  a  small  town  northwest  of  Au- 
gusta. Thence  he  moved  rapidly  southward,  hoping, 
possibly,  to  reach  the  Gulf  and  there  find  a  vessel  to  con- 
vey him  to  Cuba.  Meanwhile,  rumors  of  the  flight  of 
Davis  through  Georgia  reached  General  Wilson  at  Macon, 
who  &nt  out  parties  of  cavalry  to  scour  the  neighboring 
country.  At  Irwinsville,  about  seventy  miles  south  ot 
Macon,  the  Fourth  Michigan  Cavalry,  Colonel  Pritchard, 
came  upon  the  traces  of  the  rebel  ex-president,  and  at  day- 


1204  HISTOKT   OF   THE   GKEAT   BEBELLION. 

break  on  the  9th  of  May  his  encampment,  two  miles  outside 
of  the  town,  was  completely  surprised  and  the  whole  party 
of  fugitives  captured,  includingMrs.  Davis  and  her  sister, 
the  rebel  Postmaster-General  Keagan,  and  others. 

Davis  was  conveyed  to  Macon,  and  thence  to  Fortress 
Monroe,  where  he  arrived  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  and 
where  he  has  since  been  incarcerated,  awaiting  his  trial 
for  high  treason.  Stephens,  the  rebel  vice-president,  was 
captured  about  the  same  time,  together  with  others,  who 
had  held  high  civil  and  military  positions  in  the  rebel  gov- 
ernment. 

A  few  words  will  suffice  to  relate  the  formal  closing  of 
the  rebellion.  On  May  4th  the  forces  under  General  Tay- 
lor, comprising  all  those  troops  east  of  the  Mississippi  who 
had  not  yet  succumbed,  were  surrendered  to  General  Can- 
by  on  the  same  terms  as  those  accepted  by  General  Lee  ; 
and  a  few  weeks  later  the  whole  of  Kirby  Smith's  trans- 
Mississippi  command  was  surrendered  on  similar  terms. 
On  June  1st,  1865,  there  was  not  an  organized  body  of 
men  east  of  the  Rio  Grande  who  defied  the  authority  of 
the  National  Government.  Long  before  this  final  act  was 
effected,  measures  had  been  taken  to  reduce  and  disperse 
the  immense  forces  which  had  been  converging  upon  Kich- 
mond.  On  May  23d  and  24th  the  armies  of  Grant  and 
Sherman  were  reviewed  in  Washington  in  the  presence  of 
President  Johnson  and  a  vast  concourse  of  people,  and 
soon  these  famous  organizations  remained  such  only  in 
name.  To  all  parts  of  the  country  poured  a  steady  stream 
of  disbanded  regiments,  and  by  the  1st  of  September  half 
a  million  of  men  had  been  discharged  from  the  National 
service,  leaving  less  than  two  hundred  thousand  for  duty 
in  the  recently  revolted  States.  Over  the  whole  country 
settled  a  profound  peace.  The  South,  from  sheer  exhaus- 
tion alone,  was  incapable  of  offering  further  resistance,  and 
acquiesced  in  the,  result  of  the  great  struggle.  To  such  a 
pitch  of  misery  had  it  been  brought  during  four 'years  of 
war  that  peace  was  welcome  on  any  terms,  and  numbers 
of  recent  rebels,  including  some  who  had  held  high  civil 
and  military  office,  became  applicants  for  pardon  at  the 
hands  of  the  Executive.  Although  the  emancipation  of 
the  slaves  was  generally  accepted  as  a  settled  fact,  preju- 
dice and  habit  could  not  at  once  succumb  to  the  force  of 
circumstances,  and  the  reciprocal  relations  and  duties 


HISTORY  OF  THE  GEEAT  REBELLION.  1205 

of  those  who  had  recently  been  masters  and  slaves  were 
not  immediately  recognized.  In  order  to  protect  the  in- 
terests of  the  latter  class,  a  Freedman's  Bureau  was  organ- 
ized by  the  Government,  of  which  General  Howard  was 
appointed  superintendent,  with  agents  distributed  over 
every  portion  of  the  late  insurgent  States.  The  close  of 
the  war  necessarily  found  the  Government  saddled  with 
an  enormous  debt,  but  with  its  credit  unimpaired  at  home 
or  abroad.  So  popular,  indeed,  was  the  7.30  loan  among 
all  classes  of  the  community,  that  during  the  spring  and 
summer  of  1865  the  subscriptions,  principally  in  small 
sums,  to  the  authorized  issues,  sometimes  reached  the  enor- 
mous amount  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  millions  a  day.  On 
the  31st  of  May  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  published 
an  official  statement  of  the  public  debt,  from  which  it  ap- 
peared that  the  amount  outstanding,  bearing  interest  in 
coin,  was  $1,108,113,842 ;  the  interest  being  $64,480,489.- 
•  50.  The  debt,  bearing  interest  in  lawful  money,  was  $1,- 
053,476,371 ;  the  interest  being  $60,158,384.52.  The  debt 
on  which  interest  has  ceased  was  $786,270.  The  debt 
bearing  no  interest  was  $472,829,270.57.  The  totaL  in- 
debtedness was  $2,635,205,753.50 ;  the  interest,  both  in 
gold  and  paper,  being  $124,638,874.  The  amount  of  le- 
gal-tender notes  in  circulation  was  $659,160,569.  These 
included  $432,687,966  of  the  new  issue,  and  $160,143,620 
of  the  compound-interest  notes  under  the  act  of  June  30, 
1864.  The  uncalled-for  pay  requisitions  were  $40,000,000, 
and  the  amount  in  treasury  notes  over  $25,000,000.  The 
amount  of  fractional  currency  was  $24,667,000. 

Here  we  may  fitly  close  our  History  of  the  Great  Rebel- 
lion. During  four  years  of  trial  such  as  few  people  have 
lived  through,  of  unequalled  financial  pressure,  and  of 
ceaseless  warfare  with  a  foe  of  our  own  blood  and  birth, 
the  nation  had  struggled  on  to  final  victory.  The  aristo- 
cratic governments  of  the  Old  World,  pleased  at  the  idea 
of  seeing  the  great  republic  of  the  "West  dismembered  and 
displaced  from  among  the  family  of  nations,  stood  appalled 
at  the  prodigious  energy  and  vitality  which  she  displayed 
in  her  hour  of  trial.  At  the  call  of  the  President  armies 
had  sprung  up  as  if  by  a  magician's  wand,  swarming  in 
numbers  that  recalled  the  hordes  which  penetrated  from 
the  remote  East  into  Europe ;  arms  in  abundance  were  put 
into  their  hands,  and  great  generals  were  found  to  lead 


1206  HISTORY   OF  THE   GEEAT   REBELLION. 

them  in  the  field.     Within  two  years  a  petty  navy,  not 

freater  than  a  third-rate  European  power  would  maintain, 
ad  swollen  to  a  size  rivalling  those  of  Great  Britain  or 
France ;  and  two  years  later  it  contained  vessels  which 
could  bid  defiance  to  any  foreign  ship  afloat.  These  ar- 
mies had  been  raised  and  maintained,  this  navy  built  and 
manned,  without  so  much  as  one  dollar  obtained  by  loans 
from  Europe ;  the  men,  the  ships,  and  the  money  were  fur- 
nished by  our  own  people.  Such  a  result  was  certainly 
astounding  to  those  who  could  not  appreciate  the  patriot- 
ism and  the  unconquerable  will  of  a  free  people ;  such  a 
command  of  resources,  even  to  those  who  thought  they 
knew  the  capacity  of  the  country,  seemed  inexplicable. 
They  had  looked  for  weakness,  and  they  witnessed  a 
strength  which,  if  it  aroused  their  apprehensions,  increased 
also  their  respect.  The  war  had  developed  the  overgrown 
boy,  despised  for  his  awkwardness  and  unconscious  of  his 
powers,  into  a  very  giant.  The  United  States  at  once, 
took  its  place  among  the  great  powers  of  the  world,  more 
than  ever  before  the  bulwark  of  freedom,  the  hope  of  strug- 
gling democracies  in  the  Old  World,  and  the  exemplar  of 
progress.  That  all  this  was  accomplished  without  years 
of  sorrow  and  misery  such  as,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  we  may 
never  endure  again,  it  would  be  useless  to  deny ;  but  in 
the  nobler  manhood,  the  self-sacrificing  spirit,  and  the  pur,e 
patriotism  which  the  struggle  called  forth,  and,  above  all, 
perhaps,  in  the  overthrow  of  the  institution  of  slavery,  the 
war  furnished  some  compensating  advantages.  The  chas- 
tening hand  of  God  was  heavy  upon  ns,  as  many  a  deso- 
lated hearth-stone  will  attest,  but  in  His  providence  He 
permitted  us  also  to 

11  Grain  in  moral  height, 
Nor  lose  the  wrestling  thews  that  throw  the  world." 


THE   END. 


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